


Barely Breathing

by gaeger16



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A whole lot of jazz music, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Matt Holt, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Vampire!Shiro, hint of klance if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 06:31:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15137189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaeger16/pseuds/gaeger16
Summary: Matt always knew he was predestined for a normal life.He never had any kind of trouble with coming to terms with his identity. His supportive parents made damn sure about that. He knew what he wanted back when he was 18. Now he was 25, and worked a decent job for one of the best hospitals out there in the country. He was pretty sure he had everything under control, except for one thing. His next door neighbor who moved in a couple of months, whom Matt has never met. Upon hearing of this, Lance and Hunk encourage Matt to make the first move of getting to know his neighbor.Unfortunately what he didn't expect with his first encounter was Matt trying to bring his neighbor back to life. Some much for first meetings huh?Modern Vampire AU





	1. Humble Beginnings

* * *

 

 

Matt always knew he was predestined for a normal life. He knew from the day his parents told him that they were gonna support him no matter what he chooses to do or to be. To be fair, his parents supported both him and his younger sister, “Katie”, who goes by as “Pidge”, throughout their entire lives. And all his life, Matt was grateful to have had parents like Samuel and Colleen. It’s because of them that Matt viewed the world in an almost optimistic way that most people couldn’t see. He saw everyday struggles and what not as a natural flow of how things should be. It’s only up to how people react to certain situations that could possibly change the outcome of a result. That’s what he believed throughout his entire life and it’s served him pretty well. Matt was never considered “the odd one”, not even by his peers. He never had trouble finding friends to hang around with, no matter where he was.

He’s also dated a few people a couple of times. None of which he thought he could spend the rest of his life with. Most people struggled with having an identity crisis and figuring out their sexual preferences. Unbeknownst to his peers, Matt had it easy. He tried coming out to his parents, saying he was bisexual. He expected an initial shock from their reactions but apparently, all they replied with was unison thumbs up. “That’s great son.” His father, replied with his signature encouraging smile that he always wore. It can be assumed that Matt’s original plan to gain abrupt feedback from his parents backfired on him because now, he was the one at shock.

That happened back when he was 18, an up and coming freshman of Garrison Uni. Now he was 25, working as a research associate in Altea Medical Care Center, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country. He could definitely say that he really loves working here. Everyone, patients and workers, is treated with equal respect. Matt spends a whole lot of time in the lab area, which is somehow close to the main hospital where Lance and Hunk, his close colleagues, work at. Although they have tight schedules, they always meet up in the same café place for lunch break in the main lobby.

 

“So this old lady and I kept talking while I was taking her blood samples, right? And let me tell you. Her voice definitely sounded familiar to me. It was sultry and melodic at the same time. That’s when I asked her where she was from originally. And she said she was from Cuba!” Lance delightfully affirmed.

 

Both Matt and Hunk hummed, nodding as they took a bite out of their food, to which Lance continued with his story.

 

“So I was internally freaking out but I didn’t wanna hurt her with the needle so I calmed down a bit. I told her that I was from Cuba as well and that her voice sounded very familiar to me. And damn, turns out she used to be radio host in Cuba back in the day. I used to listen to that radio station when I was a kid. It brings back so much memories.” Lance sighed softly as he sipped on his drink.

 

Matt knew Lance as a very enthusiastic guy and was always the one to start conversations, no matter what the topic was. They first met back in a party being thrown by Nyma, who was his girlfriend back at that time. They were both introduced to each other by a mutual friend of Nyma, only to find out later on that Lance was dating Nyma as well. Yet instead of becoming sworn enemies, they decided to call a truce and break up with Nyma at the same time. And since then, they’ve grown really close as friends. Lance was a pretty talkative guy, but once you bring up Cuba, he will personally refuse to shut up.

 

Matt chuckled softly at Lance’s encounter with the old lady. He almost envied the guy for being able to interact with different people, while Matt only interacts with his research duties.

 

“Man, all this talk about Cuba is making me wanna take a vacation right now. I just wanna drown myself in some complementary coconut juice and some fresh seafood cuisine.” Hunk replied with a dreamy expression.

 

Now Hunk and Matt first met back when Hunk used to work part-time at their local café near Garrison. It was Matt’s go to study place. Later, he found out that he and Hunk also shared the same class. And so Matt introduced both Lance and Hunk to each other and the rest is history.

 

“We should all go on a vacation soon! As much as I love helping people out, I’d really prefer to spend a week of this summer under the sun.” Lance added.

 

Hunk agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

 

“What about you Matt? Are you down?” He asked.

 

Matt looked up at both of them, nodding with a wide grin on his face.

 

“Yeah sure, why not?”

 

And the rest of the afternoon went by smoothly until Matt headed back to his apartment by early evening. He lived in a relatively big place. His floor only consisted of 2 apartments, which included his and… his neighbor’s.

 

Matt’s never actually met his next-door neighbor ever since they moved in. Both of them have never seen eye-to-eye and Matt was way too busy, and probably a little intimidated to come and say hi. There would be times when he’d hear soft music coming from the apartment, which would surprise Matt nonetheless. But most of time, their entire floor was filled with silence. He almost felt as if he was neighbors with a ghost. Matt tried not to get too carried away with his presumptions about his neighbor, however.

 

The next day went by and Matt, Hunk and Lance were having lunch at the same table in the café again. And just to his luck, Lance decided that their conversation was gonna be about their respective neighbors.

 

“Remember the guy I told you about who moved in my building a week ago? Man, turns out he’s an actual brute.” Lance scoffed lightly.

 

“What makes you say that?” Matt asked, intrigued as he bit into his sandwich.

 

“I tried walking up to his door to welcome him to the building, being the good neighbor and all. But once he opened the door, he already looked completely annoyed.” Lance added.

 

Matt couldn’t help the chuckle that rippled out of him.

 

“So what did you do?” Hunk asked, trying to repress his laughter.

 

Lance paused for a second before answering.

 

“Well… Truth be told, I was caught speechless. I tried to introduce myself but I may have screwed up in that part. Once I knew I fucked up, I bolted back to my apartment.. almost tripping in the hallway.”

 

Matt and Hunk’s expressions were in completely shock. Lance? Speechless?

 

They both busted a laugh over the situation.

 

“Dude. That doesn’t sound like you AT ALL.” Hunk snickered.

 

“Seriously. I can’t believe you were caught speechless over seeing your neighbor for the first time. Was he THAT hot?” Matt added, still trying to contain himself.

 

Lance groaned, feeling embarrassed over his actions towards his neighbor.

 

“To be honest, I really don’t know happened back there. I don’t know what came over me to feel so genuinely silent all of the sudden. All I knew was that I was making a completely idiot of myself and I had to retreat immediately… Plus, he was actually pretty good-looking, except for the fact that he looks completely done with everything.” Lance explained, scratching the back of his head.

 

Matt and Hunk chuckled over Lance’s unusual behavior.

 

“Our neighbor’s pretty nice. His name is Coran and he’s a pretty classic dude. He baked some cookies for me and Shay two weeks ago, and honestly, it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. Which reminds me that I gotta try to get his recipe sometime.” Hunk shared as he finished the rest of his iced tea.

 

“Nice. Does he live alone?” Lance asked.

 

Hunk nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. I think I remembered him saying he’s a retired businessman. But who knows. Anyway, what about you Matt? What’s your neighbor like?” Hunk turned to Matt with Lance tuning in as well.

 

Matt heaved a sigh before speaking.

“I’ve actually never met my neighbor ever.”

 

Hunk and Lance were speechless for a moment before uttering “What?!” in unison.

 

“So wait. You’ve never spoken to your neighbor? At all?” Lance added, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

 

“It’s not like I’m trying to avoid them. I just never had the chance to run into them. It’s pretty weird too. Cus’ it almost feels like I’m the only one living in the damn floor.” Matt explained.

 

“That’s… actually pretty weird. What’s even weirder is that you’ve never run into each other. And they’ve moved in since when?” Hunk asked.

 

“About… 3 months ago.” Matt replied.

 

Lance and Hunk both glance at each other before looking back at Matt.

 

“Feels kinda sketchy, I’ll admit. Maybe you should try knocking at their door. See if they’re not doing anything fishy or….” Lance paused.

 

“Or what?” Matt asked.

 

“Or if in a worst case scenario, they might be dead.” Lance continued.

 

Matt’s eyes shot up over Lance’s last statement. He deemed it ridiculous to say the least. But since he barely even knew his neighbor, the possibilities were completely endless.

 

Later that evening, Matt was down by the main lobby, getting some of the mails in his mailbox. He was very much tired from work, and planned on sleeping in early.

He made it towards the inside of his apartment without glancing back at his neighbor’s door. He took off his coat and went through his mails. Most of them were from the hospital, which he didn’t deem important. But the last mail definitely caught his full attention. It was a relatively normal letter, but it wasn’t addressed to him, personally.

 

“Takashi Shirogane.” Matt uttered the name to no one.

 

He was confused as to who that was and why this person’s mail was placed in his mailbox. And that’s when he realized. The location in the mail was definitely meant to be sent to this building. But it wasn’t Matt’s apartment number that was written. It was his neighbor’s.

 

“What the actual fuck.” Matt thought to himself. He groaned in frustration. It seemed like the gods or whoever was up there was playing tricks on him. Of course he was bound to meet his neighbor one way or another. Even if that meant having the other’s mail incorrectly placed into his own. Matt abruptly stood up from the couch and opened his door, deciding it was better to get it over with.

 

He was about to make his way towards the apartment across his until he stopped in his tracks in the hallway. His neighbor’s door was halfway open with light illuminating from the inside.

 

Matt gulped down, debating whether he should still go for it or not. He held his neighbor’s letter within his hands as he slowly walked closer towards the apartment. He pushed the door open a little more, looking at his surroundings.

 

“He-Hello?” Matt tried calling out to whomever. Unfortunately no one replied.

 

He inched his way into what seemed like the living room. The place honestly felt a little bit bare. He was about to bounce out until he saw a figure lying on the ground just by the couch. Matt immediately ran towards the figure, trying to shake the person awake.

 

“H-Hey! Are you alright?!” Matt asked with a shaky tone.

 

The man looked absolutely frail, as if he hadn’t been eating at all with the way his cheeks seemed like they’ve sunken. He was pretty tall and had a good built to him but Matt could tell that he was in dire need of help right now. He checked for a pulse on the other’s chest. There was none.

 

Matt was beginning to panic right now and immediately reached for his cellphone, calling the emergency line.

 

“Hello? Yeah it’s Matt Holt. There’s an emergency down here at my apartment….” Matt explained the situation and waited for the ambulance to come around and take his neighbor to the hospital immediately.

 

So much for first meetings huh? Sometimes he hated when Lance was right.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Animal Planet Provides A Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt finds out from Lance that his neighbor was sent home after the whole fiasco that happened the prior night. But he couldn't help but wonder why he's being sent home way too early, considering the fact that he practically found him dead on his floor. Matt's also in for surprise when someone comes knocking at his door late at night.

* * *

 

 

Matt was startled awake by the loud ringing of his phone. He checked the time from his clock by the bedside, groaning in frustration. It was 9:30 am. Apparently he slept in the entire day. He grabbed his phone and swiped to answer the incoming call.

 

“Hello?” Matt muttered.

 

“Matt! Where’ve you been?” Lance’s voice echoed through the speaker.

 

Matt slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes awake.

 

“I’m back at my apartment. I slept in.” He replied gruffly.

 

Lance chuckled from the other line.

 

“Well, can’t blame ya. You had a pretty rough night last night. Seriously though, that was a close call.”

 

Matt’s eyes shot up, immediately remembering the following events that occurred last night.

 

“Shit! Oh my god… I almost forgot, how is he?” He frantically asked.

 

He could tell that Lance was grinning from the other line.

 

“Well, I just got here actually. I didn’t hear much of the deetz. But all I know is that he was sent home hours ago.” Lance replied.

 

Matt didn’t immediately reply, trying to make sense of what Lance just said.

 

“Wait… What?! How could they send him home? He was practically dead when I found him!” Matt stressed, gripping his own hair. He might’ve freaked out on Lance a little too much on the phone.

 

“Woah man, chill! Like I said, I don’t know much about what happened. But I think I overheard one of the nurses talking about alcohol poisoning?” Lance explained.

 

Matt shook his own head. He thought that there was no way it was alcohol poisoning.

 

“Luckily the guy’s still alive. Maybe you can reenact your first meeting?” Lance teased, laughing softly.

 

Matt rolled his eyes and stood up from the bed.

 

“Funny. Shouldn’t you be working?”

 

Lance stopped laughing.

 

“I could ask you the same thing, Holt. But anyway, I gotta go. The receptionist’s pretty much eyeing me right now and I got a bunch of patients tryna get their general check up. I’ll see ya!” Lance replied hurriedly.

 

“See ya.”

 

Matt ended the call right then and there.

 

He brought his arms up, stretching his back. He couldn’t stop thinking about the incident last night. Matt was sure that he heard absolutely no heartbeat from his neighbor’s passed out form. And to hear that he was dispatched from the hospital just hours ago was unnerving. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be overthinking about this and instead, feel absolutely relieved that the guy was alive. Matt was extremely relieved, yet, slightly freaked out.

 

Regardless, he decided to go on about his day just to distract him from his thoughts.

 

* * *

 

 Seeing that his fridge was running out of food, Matt decided to take a trip down to the grocery store. He knew his sister would be visiting soon, so he definitely had to make sure to stock up some food for her. Despite her size, she never fails to amaze people with her enormous appetite. She was gonna graduate high school in a week, and soon she’ll be away to study in Garrison. Matt couldn’t be any more proud of her. They’ve always been quite close.

 

After buying most of what he needed from the store, he decided to head home. Walking back to his apartment building only took 15 minutes when you take a shortcut. It was honestly quite peaceful around his area. It’s been a while since he’s been able to walk freely around the neighborhood like this. He didn’t wanna waste his car’s gas to riding somewhere he could pretty much walk to. Plus, if he hadn’t decided to walk, he would’ve never had the chance to see some of the new shops opening around the area.

 

Once he made it back to his apartment building, he went up to his floor, looking back at his neighbor’s front door, which was closed this time. He wondered if he was back home. Matt debated upon himself whether he should knock or not. He was pacing around the hallway, feeling like an idiot through every second.

 

“C’mon, Matthew, you can do this. You just gotta say “Hey! How are you doing? Rough night huh? Oh right, I’m Matt, your next-door neighbor. Listen, do you wanna catch up over dinner?- ”

 

“Wait, what. Why the heck would I wanna ask him out for dinner?” Matt uttered to himself as he continued pacing around in the hallway. He heaved a heavy sigh, deciding that he might as well just suck it up. He walked up to his neighbor’s door, carrying his bag of groceries. His hand hovered over the doorbell. Before he could change his mind, he forced his hand to ring on the bell.

 

No answer.

 

Matt waited for a minute before ringing again. Unfortunately, he was only met with silence. He sighed, turning around and walking back to his apartment.

“Maybe he’s out.” Matt thought to himself, trying so hard not to feel discouraged over the situation.

He kept himself busy for the next hour by storing the food he bought into the fridge and cleaning his apartment. He took a long, deserved shower right after his chores and decided to kill some time by playing some music while watching tv.

 

Matt had a habit of blasting his playlist while distracting himself with shows or movies he’d come across interesting in the television. The habit started back when he was in elementary, apparently. He just never grew out of it, despite how odd the habit may be to some people. Matt liked a whole lot of genre in music. He swayed around with pop, rock, indie, and other genres. But one genre he’s always loved listening to was jazz. He didn’t care what type of jazz he was listening to. He found it easy to relax whenever he listened to the genre. His love for jazz was influenced from his dad, who was always blasting jazz tunes back in their home.

 

Matt smiled at the memory as he picked at his music for his playlists, deciding with the usual one he plays. As the first jazz song played and echoed through the apartment, Matt sighed in satisfaction as he settled down on his couch and turned on the television, scrolling through the channels. Unfortunately there was nothing really interesting to watch, which made Matt just lazily slouch on the couch as he continued scrolling through channels. Finally he stumbled across Animal Planet, featuring a documentary about bats. Matt thought it was pretty interesting, considering the fact that no one really gave a shit about them, at least, that’s what Matt thought.

 

He lay comfortably on the couch, hugging one of the pillows as he focused on the screen. The playlist moved onto the next song, which was a little more soft and subtle that the last one. The narrator of the bats documentary had a pretty soothing voice too. Matt could feel himself relax a whole lot more, his eyes getting a little heavy as the minutes go by. He wasn’t trying to fight the urge to sleep however, considering that he had a pretty productive day. With the subtle jazz tune and soothing narrator voice echoing through his apartment, Matt drifted to sleep sooner than later.

 

 Matt woke up a few hours later, rubbing his eyes from their sleep. He looked around his apartment only to find that it was very dark around him. “Fuck, what time is it?” He tried to grab his cellphone but he could only reach for a flashlight. “How the hell did it get so dark like this?” He turned the flashlight on, shining the light through his dark apartment. He walked towards one of the light switches, trying to switch them on, which unfortunately did nothing. Suddenly, he heard something play from inside his closed room. He slowly walked up to the front door, pointing the flashlight right towards the wooden surface. The soft tune kept getting louder and louder the more he moved close to the room. He wasted no time by swinging the door open. He recognized that soft tune. “You Go To My Head” by Art Pepper. It was one of the songs in his jazz playlists. But that wasn’t the only thing that caught his attention in the room. A gigantic, black furry thing was sitting on the top of his bed. Matt froze from his spot near the door. His hand shook as he shined a light through that “thing”.

It was a bat. A freakishly large bat! Matt almost screamed but held his own mouth closed. Unfortunately that didn’t do much because the large animal twitched, slowly turning its head to look at Matt right in the eye. It’s wide mouth pulling its fangs out as if ready to devour Matt right then and there. But instead… it spoke.

 

“You should play “Moonlight in Vermont”. It said casually.

 

Matt held his breath before practically screaming and passing out on the floor.

 

Matt jostled awake from his nightmare, breathing heavily. He was back at his apartment, or well, he’s back in reality. Apparently he slept until the early evening. His apartment wasn’t dark, however, which was great. He looked at the clock above the wall. It was almost 7:30. His playlist had come to an end and Matt was left with the television playing. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The show he was watching was about training dogs now. He heaved a sigh of relief. That was honestly one of the weirdest dreams he’s ever had. Probably number one on his list of his weirdest dreams.

 

Before he could contemplate on his thoughts any further, his doorbell suddenly rang.

 

Matt turned to look at his door, confusion decorated upon his face. No one ever knocked at his apartment, except for the landlady, which was completely reasonable. Lance and Hunk don’t come around too often either, and they wouldn’t come and visit at this late, unless it was a real emergency.

 

“Coming!” He called out, turning the television off as he walked towards the door.

He was honestly expecting Lance or Hunk to be behind the door. But once he opened it, he was met with a very astonishing and handsome man. And damn, he was pretty built. Matt was honestly caught speechless over looking at the guy in front of him. He had black short hair with a portion of white from the front. He had a scar across his nose. And did Matt mention the guy had a great body? He may have looked pretty intimidating, but the soft and harmless expression that decorated the other man’s features was enough to make Matt fluster from the inside.

 

“H-Hey, uh, you’re Matt right?” The handsome man spoke with a soft smile upon his face.

 

And god, did he really have to have that sexy tone to his voice? Matt was practically sweating on the inside that he almost forgot to respond to the question.

 

“Oh, y-yeah! Matt. Yes, I’m Matt. Matt Holt.” Matt offered an awkward smile, offering his hand to shake the other’s. God, he actually wished he slapped himself right now.

 

Luckily the man took Matt’s hand and shook it. If Matt wasn’t imagining it, he almost noticed how the man’s hand didn’t let go of his immediately after that shake.

 

“I’m Takashi Shirogane. But uh, you can call me Shiro.” The man chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair.

 

Matt definitely wanted to touch his hair. He made a mental note to drown himself in cold water later.

 

“Nice to meet you. Again.” Matt laughed softly, to which Shiro returned the gesture.

 

“Right, again. I’d like to apologize for…last night. I was really not in my right mind. And well, I didn’t expect for our first meeting involving me half-dead on the ground with you trying to call the ambulance on me.” Shiro chuckled softly.

 

Matt tried to hold his own thoughts about the “half-dead” part.

 

“No, don’t worry about it, seriously. Me running into your apartment last night would’ve been better than me not coming at all, and leaving you passed out like that.” Matt replied. He hoped that didn’t sound to weird for Shiro.

 

“Also, one of your mails was in my pile. So I had to give it to you somehow.” Matt added.

 

Shiro chuckled again, settling his hand on the wall. Matt got to peak at the other’s triceps.

 

“Well, I’m really grateful that you barged in on me. Uh, sorry… I didn’t mean to make that sound weird.” Matt definitely noticed the flustered expression on the other’s face.

 

“But um, anyway. I was hoping that I could repay you for last night-“

 

“N-No, seriously, you don’t have to do anything. I mean, it was my pleasure.” Matt interjected. He suddenly regretted his decisions of interrupting Shiro.

 

Lucky for him, Shiro didn’t take it personally and still had that ridiculously soft smile on his face. This did not look like a man who’d just suffered through alcoholic poisoning, Matt thought.

 

“I was hoping I could treat you to dinner at my place.” Shiro replied.

 

Well Matt was definitely not expecting that.

 

“I honestly can’t pay enough for what you did for me back there. But I really wanted to return the favor, by treating you to dinner that is.” Shiro cleared his own throat.

 

God, he was so awkward. Butt Matt was just appreciating him through every second.

 

“Only if you want to, I mean. I’d be glad if you did. And also… I wanted to get to know you. I mean, we are neighbors after all.” Shiro smiled softly.

 

Now how could Matt say no to that.

 

“Sure. Let’s do that.” He tried to sound as casual as possible.

 

Shiro abruptly lit up in front of him. “Really?”

 

Matt nodded his head, offering a reassuring smile.

 

“Of course. How could I say no to dinner?” Especially with a handsome man like you, he might add.

 

Shiro was definitely beaming and you could see it from his eyes. You could almost see the radiance in them, despite the fact that it was nighttime.

 

“Alright. Well, how does tomorrow night sound?” Shiro asked.

 

Matt hummed in thought, thinking about his schedule for tomorrow. Fortunately he had nothing planned for tomorrow night.

 

“Tomorrow night, it is.” Matt affirmed.

 

Shiro nodded with the same soft expression plastered upon his face.

 

“Alright. I’ll see you then.” Shiro was gonna retreat back to his apartment until he turned back to look at Matt.

 

“Oh right, by the way…” He paused.

 

Matt raised an eyebrow at Shiro.

 

“You should play “Moonlight in Vermont”. Shiro continued.

 

Matt almost choked on his own spit.

 

“See you tomorrow, Matt.” Shiro waved goodbye as he retreated back to his own apartment.

 

Matt was in shock over the last few words that Shiro mentioned to him. It couldn’t be a coincidence right? He definitely heard the exact same words coming from that humongous bat from his nightmare a while ago. He was utterly freaking out over his exchange with Shiro. He shut his door closed as he went through his emotions. He couldn’t stop thinking about him. First of all, Shiro was completely hot and he was definitely out of Matt’s league. He looked very vibrant and healthy-looking. But what confused Matt was the fact that Shiro looked like a mangled corpse last night. If he had to put two on two together, he’d say that the Shiro he saw last night and the Shiro he met a few minutes ago did not look like the same person.

 

Matt gripped his own head, groaning in frustration. He knew he was probably overthinking again. He needed to relax. He walked up to his speaker and searched through his favorite jazz playlist. As he picked a song to play, he closed his eyes letting the tune fill his ears. He was honestly looking forward to tomorrow night, despite how anxious he was feeling right now. He might even get the answers he seeks from Shiro by tomorrow, if he asks nicely. But for now, he knew he had to wind down and enjoy the rest of his night.

 

He heaved a sigh of relief, looking at his window, which led to the balcony. The moon was definitely shining brighter than normal. He leaned to the side of the wall, just watching the moon as “Moonlight in Vermont” played in the background, echoing through the entire apartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will Matt and Shiro's dinner go?  
> What was Animal Planet trying to tell Matt? Jk.
> 
> Stay tuned!


	3. Dinner across the Hallway.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt's nervous about having dinner with Shiro.  
> His friends support him through it anyways.  
> How could he possibly handle the night with his hot neighbor across the hall?

* * *

 

“He asked you to what?!” Lance and Hunk both exclaimed in unison.

 

A few customers looked over their way and Matt couldn’t be more embarrassed about his colleagues’ sudden outburst.

 

“Jeez, could you both keep it down?” Matt muttered, glancing sideways to see if there were still people looking at them. They all decided to eat somewhere else other than the café back at the hospital. Hunk suggested Vrepit Sal’s, which was popular around the area for their Zarkon Burgers. The restaurant also served different platters for sharing, to which the three of them were very enthusiastic about.

 

“Man, I might’ve told you to make the first move, but I didn’t think you’d take it so far as to dating him on the spot.” Lance chuckled as he bit into his burger.

 

“We’re not dating, okay?! Like I said, he wanted to repay me for calling the ambulance on time just before he could be pronounced dead.” Matt explained as he shoved one of the onion rings into his mouth.

 

Hunk wiped his own mouth before speaking.

 

“But isn’t that great? At least you don’t have to stress out about meeting him anymore, cus’ he clearly made the first move for you.” Hunk giggled.

 

“Hey! I made a move! I rang his doorbell that afternoon. But… I guess he wasn’t home that time. But that still counts as a move!” Matt stressed.

 

Lance and Hunk both looked at each other, amused with Matt’s behavior.

 

“So what are you wearing to dinner?” Lance interjected.

 

“I don’t know…” Matt shrugged lightly, taking a huge bite out of his burger.

 

Both Lance and Hunk squinted their eyes at him.

 

“Matt… Are you nervous for tonight?” Hunk asked.

 

Hunk assumed that he hit a nerve within Matt considering that he almost jumped from his seat.

 

“I… am… not… nervous.” Matt reiterated.

 

Lance and Hunk raised their eyebrows at him, clearly not buying the statement.

 

Matt let out a defeated sigh, scratching the back of his head.

 

“Alright, maybe I am a little tense about it. It’s just that I haven’t been invited to dinner by anyone in YEARS. Plus, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t suspicious about him. I just don’t know what to expect.” He explained, sipping on his drink.

 

Lance hummed in thought while Hunk twiddled with his fingers.

 

“Well the more reason you gotta find out for yourself, right? Do you think he’s a serial killer?” Lance teased while Hunk smacked him on the head for it.

 

“Ouch! Seriously, Hunk?!” Lance pouted, patting the back of his head.

 

“Don’t start putting ideas into Matt’s head, man! Maybe the guy ain’t that bad.”

Hunk replied.

 

“I was just teasing him. Besides, I think the chance of him being one is unlikely. But that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down either.” Lance retorted, looking up at Matt.

 

“Yeah, I know.” He nodded.

 

“I think this will be good for you, dude. The best part about it is that you’re not the one cooking.” Hunk laughed softly.

 

Lance covered his mouth full of food, snickering while Matt couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his mouth.

 

“I guess so. Now… what should I wear?” He asked.

 

* * *

 

After taking his friends’ advices into consideration, Matt found himself getting ready by the time he came home from work. He was fixing his dark olive-colored button up and tucking the shirt into his dark trousers. He was debating whether to slick his hair back, but Lance strongly advised him against it, saying the look would make him look he was “trying too hard”, considering it was just dinner. Dinner with his hot neighbor, he might add. He also purchased a box of cupcakes from a bakery near his place before he came home to offer as dessert for dinner.

 

Matt couldn’t stop fumbling with his collar, his hair, and every detail he might find need fixing on his whole look. He supposed it was the nerves that were getting to him. He heaved a sigh, looking at his reflection in the mirror. “It’s just dinner.” He repeated to himself in his head a couple of times until he could calm down.

 

He looked at the clock by his bedside. It was just 10 minutes before 8 pm. 10 minutes left to back out of the entire thing. Matt shook his head, leaving his room immediately before he could change back into comfortable clothes.

 

Why was he so damn nervous anyway? He’s never been this nervous back in his previous dates with other people. How’s Shiro any different? And did he just call this dinner a date? Matt groaned in frustration.

 

“It’s just dinner… It’s just dinner…” He uttered to himself, closing his eyes for a second. He slumped on the couch, desperately trying to get rid of his nerves.

 

He checked the clock on his wall. Five minutes to eight.

Should he come early? That would seem a bit odd.

Late? They basically lived right next to each other, what other reason could there be for him to be late?

Five minutes sure did seem like a long time.

 

Matt did end up leaving his apartment just after 3 minutes. He carried the box of cupcakes with both hands as he walked down the hallway towards Shiro’s apartment. From the hallway, he could hear faint music coming from the place.

Once he stood right in front of the door, he could almost hear the song clearly. “Flamenco Sketches” by Miles Davis, Matt immediately thought.

 

He checked his watch, seeing there was just a minute left. His hand hovered over the doorbell, pressing down until he could hear it ring from the other side. He didn’t even know he was holding his breath the entire time.

 

“Coming!” He heard Shiro call out from the inside.

 

After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing Shiro in a dark grey button down, with tight dark trousers that showed the shape of his muscular legs entirely. Matt was, in a sense, at a loss for words. Shiro was pretty much dressed in the same way that he was, but he definitely managed to look extra sharp. Don’t even get him started on how the button down almost failed to hide the peaking muscles just beneath that shirt. Matt wanted to slam the box of cupcakes into his head.

 

But what really caught his attention was that signature soft expression decorated upon Shiro’s face, that he almost couldn’t hear what the other had to say.

 

“Good evening, Matt.” Shiro greeted with a soft smile.

 

Matt suddenly realized he might’ve been paying too much attention to the other’s physical features to reply.

 

“H-Hey, good evening.” He uttered with an awkward grin.

 

Shiro casted his gaze down upon Matt for a second, almost assuming that the guy was checking him out too until Shiro spoke.

 

“What do you have there?” He asked.

Matt looked confused at first until he realized he was in fact carrying a box of cupcakes.

 

“Oh, these are cupcakes. I thought I’d bring something over for tonight.” Matt replied.

 

Shiro hummed in delight. “What flavor?” He asked.

 

“Red velvet?” Matt shrugged lightly.

 

A soft smirk made its way towards Shiro’s features.

 

“My favorite.” He replied.

 

Matt could’ve died from that statement.

 

“Please come in.” Shiro’s soft expression came back as he encouraged Matt to come inside.

 

Matt thanked Shiro as he stepped inside of his apartment, and immediately found himself in awe of what he saw. The apartment was well lit! There was definitely more furniture around from what he remembered the last time. The chandelier just above the living room illuminated the entire area. Plus, there was a bar just aross the kitchen. How hasn’t he noticed all of this from the first time he came in here?

 

“Nice place you got here.” He complimented.

 

Shiro seemed to beam at the compliment. “I’m glad you like it.” The soft jazz music continued to echo in the background, making Matt feel a little relaxed.

 

“I never knew you were a fan of jazz music.” Matt looked at Shiro, who walked up beside him.

 

“I’ve been a long time fan, actually.” He stepped in front of Matt, gently taking the box of cupcakes from him. Matt swore he felt their fingers touch over that gesture. “I’ll keep these for us later. For the meantime, make yourself at home.” He smiled, walking towards his kitchen.

 

Matt could feel himself fluster over that genuine act. He really needed to get his act together in front of Shiro. Before he could take another step into the apartment, something climbed up from the bar table. It was a dark grey Siberian cat with golden orbs. It purred right at Matt.

 

“Hey, you….” Matt cooed, petting at the feline, which seemed to appreciate his petting, almost laying out on it’s stomach. “Funny, I didn’t see any cats the first time I came here.” Matt thought to himself.

 

“I see you’ve met Whisky.” Shiro came up from beside Matt.

 

Matt chuckled over the name. “Whisky? That was the best name you could come up with?” He grinned.

 

Shiro laughed softly, stroking his cat’s fur.

“When I first got her, she was playing with an empty bottle of whisky, not mine, I assure you. Somehow found her wind up in a dumpster late at night. And then I decided to take her in.”

 

“And name her Whisky?” Matt chuckled. The feline meowed at the name.

 

“Well, she seems to like it.” Shiro replied with a soft smile.

 

Matt hummed, stroking Whisky’s ears with a soft grin. “We have a cat back home too. His name is Rover. My little sister named him. He’s also kind of a lil’ shit.”

 

Shiro couldn’t help the laughter that came out of him.

“This one too. She gets a little too much freedom around the house. There would be times when she wouldn’t come home. I found her roaming around the streets one time when I was shopping for food late at night.”

 

Well, that explains something then, Matt thought. It’s possible that Whisky wasn’t home during the incident. Before Matt could contemplate any further, a sudden rumbling echoed from his stomach. His eyes shot up wide, feeling utterly embarrassed.

 

Shiro offered a reassuring smile, nodding at him. “Come, dinner’s prepared.”

 

Matt couldn’t do anything but nod right back, following Shiro into the dining area.

 

Matt could already smell something delicious on the way. Shiro pulled in a seat for Matt to sit on. He thanked him for the gesture before staring in awe at the plate of food right in front of him. Shiro sat just across from Matt, putting his napkin on his lap, which urged Matt to do the same. On Matt’s plate was a lamb skillet with fresh green salad to the side with some sautéed mushrooms. Oh, and of course a glass of red wine. It was honestly making him salivate.

 

“Wow, this looks really delicious.” He praised, taking his fork and knife from the sides.

 

Shiro also had the same food on his plate with the complementary glass of wine, which seemed a little darker from Matt’s, but it must’ve been the effect of the dimmed lights. Shiro raised his glass at Matt, and Matt did the same.

 

“Cheers.” He uttered as they clanked their glasses together, both taking a sip right after.

 

Matt set his glass down as he proceeded to cut through the piece of meat right in front of him, which was miraculously easy to cut. He took a bit out of the piece and immediately swooned at the taste.

“Good?” Shiro smiled, taking a smaller bite from his own.

 

Matt nodded, chewing his food before replying. “Very.”

 

Shiro chuckled, taking another sip of his wine.

 

“So I heard you work at Altea, must be a good place to work in huh?” Shiro asked, taking a bite out of his vegetables.

 

“It’s great, actually. I’ve been working there for about 4 years now as a research associate. Plus, the place is just 30 minutes away from here, which is great.” Matt replied.

 

Shiro hummed, clasping his hands together.

“What do you usually research on?”

 

“A whole lot. I mean, we do just about everything when it comes to researching and experimenting. Right now, we’re just trying to develop new theories and formulas in terms of cell culture.” Matt explained, taking a bite out of his food. He wondered if he might be boring Shiro with all this science talk.

 

To his surprise however, Shiro was staring right at him, giving him his utmost attention.

 

“Cell culture huh? Exposing cells into a new habitat. That’s definitely a whole complicated category there, I bet.” He uttered.

 

Matt couldn’t help but nod in agreement, staring back at Shiro.

 

“Y-Yeah. That’s what I- I mean we do.” Matt cleared his throat before speaking again.

“What about you?”

 

Shiro took a sip out of his wine, wiping his mouth before replying.

“I work as a councilor for growing businesses around the world. But I’m home-based. But there would be times when I have to attend such meetings with these businesses.” He said.

 

Matt nodded in understanding.

 

“Wow… Honestly it does say a lot about you.” Matt chuckled.

 

Shiro raised an eyebrow at the statement. “Oh? In what way?”

 

“To be honest, I’ve never seen you head out of your apartment. I’ve never run into you ever since I heard there was a new guy living right next door across from mine.” Matt explained.

“I guess what I’m saying is now I understand.” Matt continued.

 

A soft smirk made it’s way up Shiro’s features. “Do you?”

 

Matt shrugged, offering a soft smile. “No. But I’ll get there.”

 

Shiro’s eyebrows slightly shot up from the reply but immediately settled down, seeming a bit amused with Matt’s statement.

 

“I bet you will.” He uttered.

 

* * *

 

“And then I jumped down from the fence, trying so hard to get away from the cops. I mean, everyone was freaking the hell out back at the party. But I may have been way too drunk that night and lost my balance, injuring my ankle.” Matt laughed, clutching his own stomach.

 

Shiro joined in the laughter too, clapping his hands randomly out of joy.

 

“The good thing about is that I was hidden in the bushes. No one, not even my friends found me. I had to walk back to the dorm with a sprained ankle the next day.” Matt added, taking a bite out of the red velvet cupcake.

 

Shiro hasn’t eaten his yet, way too distracted over Matt’s wondrous college party days. An hour had passed since they’ve finished their main course. And Shiro was on his third glass of wine.

 

“That was the last time I was drunk at any party ever since. It was worth it though.” He grinned.

 

“Sounds like you were a bit of a wild kid back then huh?” Shiro chuckled.

 

Matt rolled his eyes at the word “kid”. “Man, I was just really living that time.”

 

Shiro hummed, resting his face upon his palm as he observed Matt.

 

“Life is definitely a journey, I agree.” Shiro shrugged lightly.

 

Matt’s laughter died down after a while, letting the silence just settle between them. It didn’t even feel the least bit awkward for him. The unspoken words between them felt rather peaceful. The whole topic about life reminded Matt of the incident a few days ago. He wanted to ask Shiro about what happened to him so badly. But he didn’t want to kill the vibe they had right now. He supposed that he could reserve his questions for next time.

 

He checked the time on his watch and was surprised to see that it was 10:05 pm. Time sure passed by without him noticing it. He smiled up at Shiro, heaving a soft sigh.

 

“It’s getting late, I guess I should go.”

 

Shiro nodded, standing up from his seat. Matt stood up as well, noticing that Shiro’s cupcake was left uneaten. He wondered if there was something wrong with it, but he chose not to pry.

 

“Thank you for dinner. It was delicious, I had a great time.” Matt praised, looking up at Shiro, who returned the look.

 

“I had a great time as well. We should do this again another time.” Shiro beamed down at Matt. Matt could smell the faint fragrance of the other’s cologne, and it was intoxicating. “Yes, we definitely should.” He agreed.

 

As Shiro opened the door for him, Matt almost tripped on the small step on his way out of the apartment. Luckily Shiro caught his arm to steady him. Matt didn’t even know if he was flustered over the touch or if it’s the alcohol talking.

 

“Sorry.” Matt uttered, rubbing his arm.

“Don’t worry about it. Goodnight Matt.” Shiro smiled.

Matt returned the smile, despite his tipsy state. “Goodnight Shiro.”

He waved goodbye as he made his way back to his apartment, unlocking the door while looking back at Shiro who was still by the door, looking at Matt.

Matt waved his hand goodbye at Shiro’s direction before making his way inside of his apartment.

Shiro hummed as he heard Matt play a familiar soft jazz tune from his own apartment. A soft smirk decorated his features as he closed his door.

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter done!
> 
> You might be wondering how Shiro could eat a bit of human food while being a vampire. I figured that he had the ability to consume human food but only with lots and lots of wine (it's not wine.) 
> 
> But what Matt doesn't know, won't hurt him.


	4. Whisky brings Us Together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Lance hit the gym in their off day.   
> Lance isn't too enthusiastic about it and Matt gets butt hurt.  
> Meanwhile, Whisky's been gone all morning and Shiro is rather concerned.

* * *

 

“So, I assume I was right about keeping your hair as it is without slicking it back?” Lance smirked, warming up and stretching his arms.

 

Matt simple replied with an eye roll.

 

“And I also assume I was right in “your neighbor being a killer” theory, but in your case, he killed you dead and center with that, and I quote, “hot bod”?” Lance continued to tease Matt as he stretched.

 

Matt squinted his eyes at the other, cracking his neck side to side while maintaining eye contact with the other. Lance just snickered in reply.

 

“Alright, alright! I’ll back off. But seriously, did he really have peaking abs fro-“

 

“Yes! Yes, Lance, he had the peaking abs, the sharp triceps, the bold thighs and everything else! He had everything I didn’t have… physically.” Matt interjected, covering his face out of sheer embarrassment.

 

“Huh.” Lance uttered with a playful smirk plastered on his face.

 

“So is that why we’re spending our free weekend off at the gym right now?” He continued.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Matt replied. On the contrary, he knew exactly what Lance was talking about. Ever since the dinner with Shiro, he couldn’t stop thinking about how he managed to score dinner with someone as built as his neighbor. It made him feel… odd. Matt didn’t know what he felt. But one thing he knew was that he woke up feeling the dire need to hit the gym.

 

Matt stepped onto the treadmill, trying to configure the running sequence and settings. “It’s been a while since we’ve been to the gym. I thought we might as well use this time to get some exercise and all that.”

 

Lance scoffed at the statement. “Yeah man, I know. It’s been a REALLY LONG WHILE. Seriously, the last time I stepped into a gym was about 6 months ago. And that was because it was a long holiday. But even then, I wasn’t too ecstatic about working out the entire week.” He said as he also stepped onto the next treadmill, clicking start.

 

Matt placed both his hands onto the handles in front of him as he sprinted, letting his legs work. “I haven’t been to the gym in years.” He chuckled.

 

Lance faked a gasp, glancing at Matt beside him. “Jeez, that’s why you’re holding onto the handles for dear life.” He stated, walking on the treadmill as if he was taking a stroll down the street. He seemed to be a lot more familiar with the machine than the other was.

 

“It’s not like I haven’t been in a gym in my entire life. I’m just used to working out a lot at home. Besides, who needs to pay for gym membership when you can freely exercise back at your house?” Matt breathed out as he increased his pace.

 

Lance scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Matt. “You tell me, you were the one who thought it was a good idea to come here. And why the hell isn’t Hunk suffering with us right now?” He exhaled.

 

“I told you, he had a family gathering thing planned and he was bringing Shay. Besides, I’m pretty sure he’d rather spend his free weekend with her than with us.” Matt responded, struggling to walk and talk at the same time.

 

Lance groaned in frustration, starting to sprint in the same pace as Matt. “Lucky him. I wish I was in vacation with my family too.”

 

Matt chugged on his water bottle before the jog sequence started. He was still hanging onto the handlebars for support and Lance couldn’t help but snicker at the way he looked.

 

“Careful with those handle bars dude, you might actually break them.” He exhaled, jogging casually beside Matt.

 

“Shut up.” Matt replied with a huff, beads of sweat pouring down his forehead.

 

“Let go of the handles, Holt!” Lance yelled, increasing his pace.

 

“No!” Matt replied.

 

“Let go!” Lance retaliated.

 

Matt’s grip on the bars were loosening. Instead, he brought his arms to the side, swinging them naturally as he jogged.

 

“Dude! You’re doing it!” Lance encouraged with a wide grin.

 

Matt didn’t even realize his eyes were half closed until he started jogging without holding onto something. “Holy shit.” Laughter escaped from his lips.

 

He and Lance were both jogging at the fastest sequence that they could. Both of them were starting to sweat from forehead to torso. It was just a matter of time before one of them tapped out. Lance could see that Matt was determined to win the unspoken challenge between them, but Lance wasn’t one to give in so easily.

 

Matt was definitely dying in the inside, but he didn’t wanna let it show. He just had to keep going until the end of the sequence. Nothing, not even Lance was gonna stop him now.

“Woah, is that Shiro?~” Lance suddenly uttered, feigning surprise.

 

But apparently, Matt ultimately fell for the trick as he tripped on his feet and fell on the track, rolling down onto the floor. Lance uttered a “fuck” before stopping his sequence and helping Matt get up. Matt groaned, gripping on his head as he glared at Lance. “Really?...” He uttered in annoyance, slightly hissing at the soreness of his butt.

 

“I… am deeply sorry.” Lance replied, trying desperately hard not to laugh.

“I can tell you’re not being sincere, asshole.” Matt pushed Lance off of him, making Lance fall back, clutching his stomach as he laughed.

 

* * *

 

After giving his body a rest and to relieve the soreness from his epic fall a few minutes ago, Matt decided to try to lift some weights while Lance joined one of the spinning classes. He started off with lifting 10 kg per hand. It was honestly making his arms sore. He knew he was gonna feel sore in the morning but that didn’t phase away his determination. But after a few minutes of lifting, he sat down on one of the benches, chugging on his water bottle.

 

“Maybe I should’ve joined Lance on that spinning class.” Matt thought to himself as he continued to chug on his water. Just then, a guy walked into the gym carrying a duffel bag. He was wearing a loose purple muscle shirt that showed off his toned biceps and some black running tights that shaped his long legs perfectly. He had long silky hair that came down past his shoulders and he wore an amused expression upon his face. He suddenly caught eyes with Matt from across. Matt was take aback by the other’s gaze, causing him to look somewhere else.

 

The man seemed to smirk at Matt’s reaction, turning his attention towards the front desk. Matt focused his gaze away from up front. He didn’t know why he felt so intimidated by the other man’s gaze. Just before he thought it was safe, he felt a sudden thud beside him. He looked up to see the same man, rummaging through his duffel bag, which was apparently just a few inches away from Matt.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The man replied with a rather soft expression. Matt noticed the English accent right away. He shrugged in reply, uttering a simple “don’t worry about it.” The man stared at Matt a little longer before rummaging through his bag for his hand wraps. He sat down just beside his bag as he began to wrap his hands. Matt could feel the other’s stare from beside him, which was making him feel a tad bit queasy. Just then, the other man spoke.

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

Matt looked back at the man, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. “No, I don’t think so?”

The man hummed in reply. “You seem familiar to me, however. Are you by any chance, Matt Holt?”

Matt raised an eyebrow at the other man.

“Y-Yes? Wait, who are you?” He asked.

The man chuckled softly at Matt’s question. “I knew I was right, you really did look familiar. Oh, and my name is Lotor. Allura and I are good friends. You may not recall, but she had introduced us back when Altea Care was renovated.”

 

Matt suddenly felt as if his brain connected the dots right then and there. He didn’t remember much about what happened back then, much less about being introduced to Lotor, even. Regardless, he smiled and offered his hand up for the other to shake. “Well, forgive my memory because I don’t seem to recall. But it’s very nice to meet you Lotor.”

 

Lotor shook Matt’s hand almost immediately after merely offering it. “The pleasure is all mine. I’ve always been an admirer of what you do in Altea. Allura was the one who actually introduced me to your work as well. The numerous essays you wrote never failed to amaze me.” He praised, slowly letting go of Matt’s hand.

 

Matt couldn’t help but smile at the praise. He was also pretty proud of the hard work he put into those essays and to encounter someone who’s surprisingly familiar with them makes Matt feel pleased.

 

“Wow, uh, thank you. I mean, I’m honored.” Matt chuckled, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. It was odd receiving praises in public like this. Just then, he heard someone clearing their throat. Matt looked up to see Lance, who was sweating like a mad man as he carried his empty water bottle. “Oh, you’re back.” Matt greeted.

 

Lance nodded with a soft smirk, wiping his sweat from his brow. “Who’s this?” He nodded at Lotor.

“Oh, Lance this is-“

“Lotor. Mutual friend of Allura’s.” Lotor interjected, extending his hand to shake Lance’s, to which Lance dubiously shook back.

“Hey dude. You new here?” Lance greeted nonchalantly, seeming a little suspicious about the newcomer.

“Me? Oh, no. I’ve been a member of this gym for almost a year now. But you two seem to be the opposite, seeing that this is the first time I’ve seen you around here.” Lotor glanced back at Matt.

 

“Oh yeah, we wanted to check this place out. We heard you could use the gym for free the first time around so we decided to take advantage of that.” He sported a small chuckle, which Lotor delightfully returned.

 

“I figured. Well, it was great meeting you both. But I’m sure you’re busy with taking advantage of your free time here, so I will hinder you no longer.” Lotor slung his bag onto his shoulder before waving goodbye towards Matt and Lance.

 

“Hope to see you soon again, Matt.” He smiled before making his way towards one of classes.

 

Lance couldn’t help but stare daggers into Lotor’s back while Matt waved goodbye. “I cannot believe this. I leave for 30 minutes and you’re already getting jiggy with a new guy.” He scoffed, refilling his own water bottle.

 

“He’s just some guy I met a couple of years ago, it’s no big deal. Plus, he’s not my type.” Matt casually stated. Lance looked back at him with an amused smirk plastered upon his face. “Oh really?~ Would your type happen to be… S.H.I.R.O?” He spelled the name with a playful, teasing tone.

 

Matt rolled his eyes at Lance’s ridiculousness, deciding not to answer that question. He and Shiro were just neighbors and nothing else. But Matt hated hoping for something unexpected, which he was unconsciously doing right now.

* * *

 

 The rest of his afternoon was spent by having lunch with Lance at a nearby diner, where Lance couldn’t help but open up about his mysterious neighbor back at his apartment. Matt could tell that Lance was growing an interest for his neighbor from the way he just couldn’t stop talking about him, despite how annoyed he seemed to be with that said person. Matt was also amused over the fact that Lance hasn’t even gotten his name yet. After lunch, Matt headed back to his apartment to take a shower. Although his body felt sore after working out, he didn’t want to waste today by sleeping in. He stopped by at the local bookstore to scan for some new books he might find interesting and maybe even purchase. He bought at least 2 books that were on sale, apparently. After that he stopped by a café to unwind for a bit. He was able to read half of the first book until he realized that it was already nighttime.

 

He was about to head back to his apartment until he spotted a new records shop as he walked down the streets. He checked his watch, looking at the time. It was just 7 pm.“It’s still pretty early.” He thought to himself as he walked into the records shop called Blaytz Beats. There was a guy working by the cashier who seemed to be distracted over playing a game on his phone and Matt was pretty sure he was the only customer right now. There were individual sections for each genre of music and Matt passed by each of them to see if he knew any artists from that genre.

He tried scanning through some familiar albums, but ended up making his way into the jazz section instead. He was practically beaming with pride when he found one of Miles Davis. The price seemed pretty cheap too. Only problem was that he didn’t own a turntable.

 

He walked up to the cashier, carrying the album as he cleared his throat, trying to get the guy’s attention. The guy uttered “hold on” before groaning in frustration when he lost the game. He threw his phone on the desk before bringing his attention towards Matt. “Sorry about that. Welcome to Blaytz Beats. What can I do for you, sir?” The cashier, named Rolo, asked with the most laid back tone Matt’s ever heard.

 

“Yeah, uh, is there any chance you can reserve this album for me?” He asked, raising the album slightly.

 

Rolo fixed his beanie before squinting at the album, humming in thought.

“Oh, that. That’s a classic one. You a jazz guy?”

 

Matt didn’t know how to answer that question. “Uh… I guess? Why does that matter?” He chuckled awkwardly.

 

The cashier shook his head. “Nothin’, just thought you might be one. But anyway, you’re gonna have to ask my manager about that.”

 

“Oh. Who’s your manager then?” Matt asked.

 

“That would be Blaytz. But he’s out of town. He won’t be back until next week.” Rolo toyed with one of his bracelets on his arm, seeming a little too casual about their exchange.

 

Matt couldn’t help but sunk. “Oh.” He muttered.

Before he could utter another word, the bell chimed as someone walked into the store. Rolo acknowledged the person by scoffing with annoyance. “Keith, c’mon man. It’s the third time you’ve been late this week.” Again, he called out in the most casual tone, with a hint of annoyance.

 

“Sorry, I got caught up on traffic.” Keith uttered, walking over to the desk where Rolo was sitting on. Rolo rolled his eyes at the other’s claim for being tardy.

“As per usual.” He playfully mocked.

 

Matt couldn’t help but notice how the other worker by the name Keith looked as if he lacked sleep. His black hair was messily tied up in a short bun and his work shirt looked a little more wrinkled than Rolo’s.

 

“But anyway, did the boss say we could keep albums for customers?” Rolo asked his coworker. Keith hummed in thought, glancing at Matt.

“I don’t think he mentioned it. But it’s not as if we’re not allowed to either. Why?”

 

Rolo nodded at Matt. “My guy here wants to reserve an album.”

Matt looked at both of them, offering a soft smile.

Keith hummed for a moment before shrugging lightly. “I don’t see why not.”

In Matt’s head, he could’ve screamed in joy and probably hugged both of the workers.

“Thank you so much! I’ll pick it up between tomorrow or next week if I can.” Matt delightfully thanked both of them. Rolo shrugged as he went back to playing his game while Keith took the album from Matt and kept it safe.

Matt thanked them both again while the other two waved at Matt goodbye as he walked out of the store.

He felt the chilly air against the cold night as he walked down the corner of the street. But as he turned, he unfortunately bumped into someone.

 

“Shit, sorry, about tha-“ Matt looked up, surprised to see someone he didn’t expect to see wandering around the neighborhood. Shiro looked pretty surprised to see Matt as well.

 

“M-Matt! Hey!” Shiro greeted with a soft grin, patting Matt’s shoulder. The touch sent tingles down Matt’s arm.

“Shiro! Wow, I didn’t expect you to be walking around outside the neighborhood.” He lightly joked.

Shiro chuckled at the statement, shaking his head. “I was actually gonna look for Whisky. She’s been gone all morning. But, I guess I’m glad ran into you as well.”

 

Matt flustered over Shiro’s last statement. Of course, he had to run into Shiro, who was wearing a warm and dark jacket with some worn out jeans, which looked good on him either way. It would be easier for Matt if he just said his goodbyes and went straight home. But he had to make harder for himself.

 

“I could help you find her, if you want. I got nothing else to do back home.” Matt lied. He actually planned on reading his new books, but that entirely changed when he bumped into Shiro.

 

Shiro seemed to beam at the offer. “Really? You’d look for her with me?”

“Of course, if it gave me the chance to spend time with you more”, Matt thought.

“Yeah, sure.” Matt replied with a reassuring smile.

 

That’s how they found themselves wandering through every corner in their area, looking for Shiro’s lost cat. The weather was getting pretty cold too. After half an hour of searching, they still had no luck of finding Whisky.

 

Shiro heaved a sigh of defeat, settling down by a park bench.

“C’mon, let’s sit down for a bit.” He encouraged Matt to sit beside him.

Matt settled down on the bench, breathing a sigh.

“Does she always wander in hours like this?” Matt sported a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, unfortunately. I’m sorry I had to drag you into this.” Shiro replied, crossing his fingers together.

Matt shook his head at the apology. “Don’t apologize. Whisky was the one who got us into this position in the first place.” He joked.

Shiro laughed, looking up at Matt. “Yeah. Once we get her, I’ll have her apologize to you.”

The silence that developed between them filled Matt with a sense of warmth. Being around Shiro like this made Matt feel a little safe. Despite the cold, Shiro’s warmth seemed to radiate and widespread through Matt. He couldn’t help being drawn to Shiro that it was starting to scare him.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Shiro asked, looking right at Matt with a soft expression.

“You.” Matt wanted to say it so badly.

“How could it be so cold in a summer night?” Matt replied.

Shiro snickered, lying back on the bench. “Well now that got me thinking about it too.”

Matt couldn’t fight the stupid grin off his face.

“So what were you doing outside before we ran into each other?” Shiro asked.

Matt lay back on the bench a bit before replying.

“I was just wandering around, really. Today was my off day and I didn’t really wanna stay cooped up inside my apartment. I ran into this record store and reserved an album.”

 

Shiro nodded in understanding. “Which album?”

“Kind of Blue by Mi-“

“Miles Davis.” Shiro interrupted, grinning at Matt, who returned the gesture with a soft laugh.

“Yeah. It’s a classic. But the thing is, I don’t have a turntable back at home, which is why I reserved it until I could buy one.” Matt explained further.

“Why don’t you use mine?”

 

Matt looked at Shiro with a confused look. “You have a turntable?”

Shiro nodded. “Yeah. I barely have the time to use it though. You can come by my house and borrow it, if you want.”

Matt paused for a moment before shaking his head, smiling. “No, no. You’re too kind, Shiro. I can’t just borrow your stuff.”

“No, really. I insist. It’s just sitting inside of my room, unused. I would hate to throw it away.” Shiro retorted.

Matt heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes playfully. “Okay, well how about this… I’ll use your turntable only if I… get to play it back at your place.” He bit his lower lip.

Shiro seemed to be surprised by the proposition. But he couldn’t say no. He wouldn’t say no. “I like that idea better.” He replied.

 

Matt nodded in satisfaction over their agreement. He twiddled with his thumbs, trying to figure out what to say. He’s definitely been wanting to ask Shiro some very important questions regarding the incident, but he just didn’t how to bring it up.

 

“I, uh… I’ve been meaning to ask.” He uttered.

Shiro turned towards Matt. “Yes?”

Matt paused for a moment, figuring out what to ask first.

“That night, when I saw you passed out on your floor… I’ve been wanting to ask about what happened to you… before I saw you.”

Shiro turned his gaze towards the ground, looking rather melancholic, which made Matt almost regret asking in the first place.

 

“I don’t really know how to call it. I can’t really describe the feelings I was experiencing at the time. Was it hopelessness? Was it pain? Maybe both. All I could really say is that I was in a pretty dark place that time.” Shiro exhaled.

 

Matt listened intently to what Shiro had to say. “Sorry if I bring this up, but, you really did look like you were dying… “

Shiro slowly nodded, biting his lip. “Yeah. I may not have been eating that much…”

Matt paused for a moment before replying. “One of my colleagues also mentioned that you suffered through alcohol poisoning that night, which may or may not have anything to do with your heart suddenly stopping.”

Shiro looked somewhat taken a back over that statement but quickly nodded either way. “Oh, well yeah. I seem to recall drinking a little bit too much too.”

 

Matt didn’t know what to say that could possibly uplift Shiro. He knew from experience that listening to and understanding what the other person had to say was the best choice in the matter. But right now, Matt wanted to do more than simply that. He wanted to wrap his arms around the other and shoulder all the pain he experienced. Matt just wanted to make him happy. He settled with planting his hand upon the other’s shoulder, looking right at him with a soft expression.

 

“If I’ve met you the first time you moved in, I’d have wanted us to get to know each like how we did last night. If I could, I would travel back in time just to knock at your door and introduce myself to you.” Matt smiled, gripping on Shiro’s shoulder a little tighter.

Shiro could only focus at Matt, staring back at him.

“Listen, I know we clearly just met last night. But I want you to know that I’m for you whenever. If you need to talk or just hang around, I don’t mind. Just come by next door.” Matt continued, giving Shiro’s shoulder another gently pat.

 

Shiro was at a loss for words. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Matt but he knew his stare was lingering on the other for way too long. A soft smile made its way past his features, heaving a soft sigh. “Thanks, Matt.” He whispered.

Before anyone could say anything else, a silent meow was heard from beneath the bushes behind their bench. Shiro turned his head to see shiny yellow orbs staring right back at him.

 

“Whisky!” Shiro called out as he grabbed the cat out from the bushes. Matt followed suit, standing up from the bench as Shiro silently scolded his cat. After successfully finding Whisky, they all headed home back to their apartment building. On the way, Shiro suggested that they get each other’s numbers, to which Matt agreed. Once they made it back to their apartment floor, Shiro let Whisky down as she went right inside of the apartment. He looked back at Matt, saying goodnight and waving goodbye from across his apartment. Matt returned the gesture with a soft expression before returning back to his apartment.

* * *

 

In the middle of the night while Matt was lying on his bed reading his new book, his phone suddenly chimed, indicating a message. It was from an unsaved number but Matt could tell it was from Shiro.

 

_(9:47 pm)_

_“Hey, thanks for tonight. It felt really great, opening up to you.”_

 

Matt smiled at the text, putting his book down before replying.

 

_(9:48 pm)_

_“Don’t thank me. It was my pleasure._

_Goodnight, Shiro.”_

 

A few seconds later, he received another message from Shiro.

 

_(9:48 pm)_

_“I’m glad I bumped into you tonight._

_Goodnight, Matt.”_

 

Matt’s cheeks grew red over the text, burying his face on his pillow, hugging it tightly. He went through his phone contacts and saved Shiro’s number, putting his name on the top contacts. He typed in Shiro’s name, placing a flexing arm emoji and a heart emoji side by side together as he saved it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four done!
> 
> This was a pretty long chapter to make, I'll admit. But I'm pretty excited about introducing the new characters :D   
> Next chapter's gonna be a little more serious.  
> Stay tuned!


	5. Turn around, Bright Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An incident occurs around Matt's area.  
> Who's the victim?  
> Matt's completely freaked out.

* * *

 

“Alright, you guys, I gotta bounce.” Rolo pushed the door open as he waved back at his friends, who remained on the couch as they continued to play video games.

 

“See ya Rolo!” One of them called out, nodding at Rolo’s direction before turning his attention back to the game they were playing.

 

Rolo chuckled, waving goodbye before closing the door. He shoved his hands inside of his hoodie’s pockets as he walked down the empty street. It was already 2:30 am by then when he decided to head home from his friend’s apartment. He swiftly walked down the sidewalk, heading back to his own house. The streetlights illuminated his path towards home until he reached the corner of his apartment building. As he passed an alleyway, he saw something move from the corner of his eye. He stopped walking as soon as he saw it. He stood in front of the dark alleyway, waiting for whatever he saw to come out. But there was nothing.

 

He continued walking down the street where a lingering figure was following him from the other side of the dark alley. Rolo turned another corner and stopped in his tracks when he saw a shadow standing a few meters in front of him. “What the fuck?...” He whispered when it was suddenly gone. His hands turned into fists inside of his hoodie, unsure of what to do. His breathing was turning erratic from the fear he felt at that moment. He turned his head sideways, looking at the corner and the road. He clearly had nowhere else to go. This was the easiest shortcut he knew that led him back to his house. He held his breath as he took another step closer, and another. He leaned his head to the side, peaking at the dark corner the shadow was just in front of. And yet there was no one.

 

“This is fucking weird-“ However, once Rolo turned around, he found himself staring back at a pair of purple, glowing eyes. His whole body froze in the presence of those horrifying orbs. His voice was caught up in his throat, unable to scream. He tried backing away and yet he couldn’t move a muscle. He absolutely lost all control of his own body. He suddenly felt a slight pain shoot through his neck, making him wince as if something had pierced through his skin. Within a few seconds, everything started turning black. His body went limp, falling down onto the sidewalk as he lost all consciousness.

* * *

 

The sounds of the news channel and the speaker playing soft jazz tunes emerged and echoed through Matt’s apartment as he drank his hot cup of coffee. He woke up feeling a little less dull than usual. He was dressed up in a fawn colored button up with some dark trousers and his work shoes. He was leaning on his kitchen table as he watched the news from the side, his cup of coffee in one hand.

 

“This morning, approximately 2:45 am, a man was found passed out in the corner of 5th West Avenue Street. He appears to be unharmed but once the police tried asking him questions, he said that he had no memory of how he ended up passed out in 5th West….” The anchorwoman continued. Matt tuned in, drinking his coffee, which he almost spat out when the news showed the face of the victim.

 

“That’s… That’s Rolo.” Matt’s eyes shot up wide open as he watched the ambulance take Rolo and send him to the hospital. The hospital where Matt works, in fact.

 

“According to the medics, the victim looked incredibly pale when they came and felt weak when they tried to get him to stand up and walk. When they checked his blood pressure, it seemed to have dropped from an approximate average. The medics concluded the victim suffers from an immense amount of blood loss, despite being unharmed…”

 

Matt frowned at the television, settling his empty cup onto the table. The news spooked him, to say the least. It deeply horrified him to know that something unusual as this was happening around his area. Not to mention the fact that the place they found Rolo was relatively close to his apartment. He needed to find out if Rolo was okay.

 

 

He made it just in time at the hospital and yet the main lobby was almost bombarded with reporters from every news station. The security guards were desperately trying to push them all out of the building and yet, he found Lance in the middle of it all, talking to one of the reporters.

 

“Lance!” He called out on the crowd.

 

Lance appeared to have heard his name and caught eyes with Matt.

“Matt! Dude, come here!” He waved at the other with a huge grin on his face.

 

Matt pushed his way towards the crowd, dodging a bunch of reporters to make his way towards Lance. “Lance, what the hell is happening here? Why does it look like every reporter in every news station is here right now?”

 

Lance drew his head back, laughing. “That’s cus’ every reporter from every news station is here! Didn’t you hear it in the news? About that guy who passed out in 5th-“

“5th West Avenue Street, I know. But where is he? Shouldn’t he be away from all this trouble?” Matt asked.

 

“He’s in one of the private rooms right now, talking to the police. These guys are just tryna wait for the police to come out and give them the details.” Lance nodded at the swarm of reporters around them.

 

Matt looked at the time above the wall, cursing in his breath.

“Shit man, I gotta go. I’ll see you later.” He said as he ran towards the research building.

“See ya bud!” Lance called out as he waved goodbye towards Matt’s direction.

 

Luckily, Matt made it to the lab just in time. The whole afternoon went by smoothly with him typing up paperwork in his desk. Lance sent him a text asking if he wanted to join for lunch but Matt declined, saying he had a ton of work to do, which was very much true. His desk was full of stacked up files as he typed at his computer non-stop. His colleagues seemed to be busy with paperwork as well. But once 5 pm rolled in, Matt was typing up a few last sentences to conclude his document. He proofread it all and saved once he was completely done. He stretched his arms up as well as his back, stifling a yawn. His phone vibrated on his desk, indicating a message. It was from Lance.

 

(5:03)

_Hey man, I’m headed home now, you working overtime? :P_

 

Matt sent a quick reply towards the text.

 

(5:04)

_Nah, I’ll be heading home in a while. Are there anymore reporters?”_

 

Lance replied almost immediately.

 

(5:04)

_Nope! They all left an hour ago or so. Take care man_

 

(5:05)

_You too, see ya tomorrow._

 

Matt sent the last text before shoving his phone inside of his pockets and packing up his stuff. He bid some of his colleagues goodbye before walking out of the lab. He passed by the main lobby, which seemed a lot calmer than this morning. There were only a few patients lining up for a check-up while the others were nurses helping around. He was about to walk out towards the exit when someone called out to him.

 

“Matt!”

 

Matt turned around and saw a familiar face by the front desk. Matt had to blink twice just make sure that who he was seeing was real.

 

“Nyma?” A soft grin made its way towards his features as he slowly approached the woman. He noticed that her blonde hair was cut short just above her shoulders. Her face had also matured quite a bit from the last time he saw her too. But overall, Matt knew she was still the same Nyma.

 

Nyma chuckled, waving her hand at Matt. “Hey, it’s been a while, huh?”

Matt nodded, chuckling back. “Yeah, definitely been a while.”

“I’m guessing that you work here?” She asked.

 

“Yes, actually. I work at the lab.” Matt shrugged lightly.

 

Nyma giggled softly, shaking her head. “I figured. This place does really seem like where you’d work.”

 

Matt ran a hand through his hair, sheepishly smiling. “Yeah? What about you? What have you been up to lately?”

 

Nyma gave a light shrug, “Well, I’m just visiting an old friend here. But I’m working as a substitute teacher in a nursery school a few miles away.

 

“That’s great, Nyma. Oh, Lance works here too, as well as Hunk!” Matt replied.

 

Nyma’s eyes shot up in surprise, grinning. “Really? So the whole gang is here, huh?”

 

“Pretty much. So, who are you visiting?” Matt asked.

 

Suddenly, a hand rested upon Nyma’s shoulder, making Matt and Nyma look up to see who it was.

 

“Hey.” Rolo casually greeted with his casual grin.

 

“Oh, there you are! Matt this is-“

 

“Rolo! Hey, are you alright?” Matt blurted out upon seeing Rolo standing in front of him.

 

Nyma seemed confused about the sudden development.

“Wait. You two know each other?”

 

Rolo nodded once. “Yup. He came by the shop last night, asking for safe album keeping.” He grinned.

 

“Sounds like Matt.” Nyma giggled.

 

Matt paused for a moment before continuing. “I saw the news this morning. What happened?”

 

Rolo’s casual grin dropped, turning into an expression filled with confusion and fear.

“To be honest with you man, I really have no clue what happened to me. The last thing I remembered was leaving my bud’s house and then somehow poof! It all went dark.”

 

Both Matt and Nyma stood silent, listening intently.

“The cops told me I was seen passed by the sidewalk near my house. And honestly, I don’t even remember much about waking up and being brought to the hospital.” Rolo continued, heaving a sigh.

 

Matt could tell that Rolo was tired and a bit frustrated. Nyma wrapped an arm around Rolo’s neck, looking up at him. “I’m glad you’re safe either way.” She smiled.

 

Rolo’s lips twitched into a smile over Nyma’s words.

“Thanks Nyma.”

 

Matt smiled at both of them. He could tell that they both cared about each other a whole lot, even if Matt wasn’t sure about whether they’re together or not.

 

“Oh yeah, how do you two know each other?” Rolo suddenly asked.

 

Matt seemed a bit taken a back about what he was supposed to say but Nyma had a different reaction.

 

She broke into laughter before replying. “Don’t you remember? Didn’t I tell you about that guy I was dating back in college?”

 

Rolo was contemplating on it for a bit before replying. “Yeah I remember. But then there was another guy you were dating at the time, right? What was his name?”

 

“Lance.” Matt interjected.

 

“Yup! That guy. Man, I’d like to humbly apologize for her behavior back then. She can really be a jerk sometimes.” Rolo chuckled while Nyma, playfully slapped his arm.

 

Matt shook his head, laughing. “Don’t worry about it. Nyma and I are good. All three of us are good.”

 

Nyma hummed in agreement. “Yup. We buried the hatchet long ago.” She smiled sympathetically.

 

“Well, it was great seeing you Nyma. I’m glad you’re alright Rolo.” Matt replied.

 

Rolo nodded at Matt. “Thanks man. By the way, just in case you’re planning on buying the album, it’s still kept safe in there for you. I texted Keith this morning about what happened and I’m guessing he’s managing the store right now.”

 

“I’ll give him a visit then.” Matt replied.

 

“Anyway, we gotta go. Rolo’s gotta rest and he promised he’d show me around the neighborhood tomorrow.” Nyma said, carrying her bag.

 

“Of course. Take care both of you.” Matt bid them goodbye.

 

“You too Matt. See you around.” Nyma replied while Rolo smiled and waved before they went to the direction of the car park.

* * *

 

True to Rolo’s word, Keith was actually managing the shop by the time Matt arrived at the records store.

 

“How is he?” Keith asked as soon as Matt told him he ran into Rolo in the hospital.

 

“He’s doing fine. He was sent home just an hour ago.” Matt asked as Keith looked for the album that he wanted reserved for him.

 

“That’s great.” Keith heaved a sigh of relief as he held the album between his hands, typing in the code number.

 

“I think it’s pretty weird that he lost a whole lot of blood without getting injured. Don’t you think?” Matt asked.

 

Keith shrugged as he clicked enter on the computer. “Probably. Unless, he was injured in a spot where blood really flows, no matter how small a cut could be.”

 

Matt looked up at Keith, who seemed a little too calm about the given situation.

“I mean, I guess.” He uttered.

 

“That’ll be 15 bucks.” Keith said as he opened the cash register.

 

Matt handed him a 20. Keith took the bill and offered him the change.

 

“As long as he’s better now, I’m sure there’s nothing else to worry about.” Keith leaned back on the chair, looking up at Matt with a neutral expression.

 

Matt took his album with him, nodding slowly.

 

“Anything else?” Keith raised an eyebrow at him.

 

Matt shook his head abruptly. “Nope, this’ll do.”

 

“See you then.” Keith lazily waved goodbye.

 

“Yeah. See ya.” He uttered as he left the store, walking back to his apartment.

* * *

 

Back at the apartment building, Shiro was by his kitchen, taking one of his cutting boards and sharpening his knife with the edge of the counter. He grabbed a piece of fish he defrosted earlier and started deboning it. He cut the fish meat into piece, setting the pieces onto a bowl before washing his hands. He opened his fridge, reaching for one of the wine bottles. He grabbed a wine glass and poured some of the slightly viscous liquid into it. He leaned in, giving the luscious liquid a sniff before heaving a sigh. His grip on the glass was becoming tighter, nails growing slightly longer as he slowly took a sip from the glass. The top of his lip was decorated with the dark red substance after taking a sip. His tongue trailed up his lip, licking the rest of the liquid. He closed his eyes for a second before slowly opening them, revealing his sharp pupils.

 

Suddenly, a knock was heard from his door.

 

His eyes completely changed back into their normal state. He could sense a very familiar aura outside his door. He quickly wiped the rest of his mouth with a tissue before keeping the wine bottle and glass into his fridge. Internally, he was panicking. He fixed his shirt, smoothening the edges before walking towards the door and opening it, half-surprised to see Matt.

 

“Hey.” Shiro smiled, acknowledging his neighbor.

 

Matt was holding the album he bought in front of him, almost covering the soft smile on his face.

 

“Is the “borrowing your turntable to play my new album in your house” deal still good to go?” Matt asked.

 

Shiro chuckled softly, biting his lower lip. “Of course it is. Come on in.” He opened the door for Matt to come in.

 

Matt walked into the apartment, hugging the album close. “Sorry. Did I catch you in a bad time?”

 

Shiro shook his head. “No, I just got home from a meeting 30 minutes ago. I was going to cook some fish for Whisky to lure her back here.” He chuckled.

 

Matt offered a soft grin. “Sounds like you had a pretty busy day.”

 

Shiro shrugged lightly. “It’s not as bad as most meetings. Have you eaten yet?”

 

“I ate a bit of bread I bought from the convenience store?” Matt replied, but his stomach rumbling completely said otherwise.

 

Shiro broke into laughter at the sound. “Sounds like it was less than bread. Just make yourself at home alright? I’ll be right back.” He said as he made his way to his room.

Matt settled down on one of the dining chairs, putting the rest of his stuff on the floor beside him as he waited for Shiro to come back out.

 

Shiro came back out after a minute or so, carrying his turntable onto one of his desks in his living room. He plugged it in before making his way towards Matt.

Matt smiled, giving Shiro the album.

 

“I’m assuming you couldn’t wait for another week to buy it huh?” Shiro teased as he gently took the vinyl out of the cover.

 

Matt rolled his eyes playfully.

“Maybe…” He replied with a soft smirk.

 

Once Shiro settled the vinyl onto the record player, he moved the arm vector towards the cd, slowly settling it down onto the surface of the vinyl record.

Soon, the first tune started playing. Shiro closed his eyes, smiling in satisfaction.

 

“A classic.” He whispered before looking at Matt.

 

Matt honestly thought Shiro looked beautiful in the way the moonlight from the window on his terrace illuminated half of his face while the other half lingered in the dimness of the living room. It held a sense of reality and mystery within the man. His eyes couldn’t stop looking into Shiro’s orbs, finding it hard to turn his gaze away. It was almost as if he was being hypnotized. Somehow he snapped back into reality as soon as Shiro moved out of line of sight.

 

“Hungry?” Shiro asked.

 

Matt heaved a sigh before nodding. “Unfortunately.”

 

Shiro chuckled. “I’ll whip something up for you.”

* * *

 

Matt was observing the rest of Shiro’s living room while Shiro did his work in the kitchen. The living room seemed well furnished except for one thing that he noticed. There were no photos of him, his family or even his friends, and not even Whisky. Matt thought he assumed too much, thinking that there would be photos in Shiro’s bedroom. Somehow, a blush appeared within Matt’s cheeks as soon as the thought came to mind. He quickly shook his mind off of those thoughts. He walked towards the terrace area, sliding the door open and stepped out, sighing at the cold air that came his way. He could see the view of the city from above and below. He leaned onto the railings, admiring the moon from the above the sky. He looked to the right where his own terrace was. He never knew that their terraces were this close.

 

“Cold?”

 

Matt turned around to see Shiro by the open door, walking beside him.

 

“Nah. This feels good.” Matt replied, looking up at the moon.

 

He sighed, leaning forward a bit. “Pretty isn’t it?”

 

Shiro looked up at the moon, nodding once. “I suppose.”

 

“To think that it merely reflects the light from the sun. But it’s able to look as beautiful as the sun. Maybe… even a lot more beautiful.” Matt whispered.

 

Shiro’s gaze turned towards Matt, observing how the moonlight illuminated the other’s face.

 

“Maybe it was meant to be more beautiful than the sun.”

 

Matt chuckled softly at the statement, still gazing at the moon. “Maybe. But it can emerge a whole lot of mystery into the night, don’t you think?”

 

Shiro stood silent, gazing down to the ground.

 

“But that doesn’t mean the sun can’t be as unpredictable either.” Matt added.

 

Shiro slowly looked up again, lips twitching into a soft smile.

“C’mon Shakespeare, your dinner’s gonna get cold.” He patted Matt on the shoulder before getting inside.

 

Matt nodded, following Shiro inside.

* * *

 

“You’re not gonna eat?” Matt asked as he settled down on one of the dining chairs.

 

Shiro shook his head, settling down across from Matt. “I’m rather thirsty than hungry.”

 

Matt rolled his eyes playfully before grabbing the utensils on either side of him. Shiro prepared him another gourmet like dinner. Matt would be lying if he said that the meal in front of him wasn’t making him salivate. Shiro had prepared him some Shrimp Pasta with Chili. Matt loved seafood and the dish just somehow made him love shrimps even more. Without another word, he started devouring the plate in front of him.”

 

“I can tell you’ve had a busy day.” Shiro commented, grinning at how hungry Matt was.

 

Matt wiped his mouth with one of the towels, chewing his food before replying. “I had more than a busy day. I’ve actually had a rather weird and busy day, starting this morning…”

 

Shiro raised an eyebrow at that, leaning a little more. “Oh?”

 

“Yeah. Have you heard the news lately?” That’s when Matt started to explain Rolo’s incident to Shiro, who was quietly listening to every word Matt had to say.

 

“What’s even weird is that I just met him at the record store yesterday. Not only that, but I ran into a friend back in college, who turned out to be close to Rolo.”

 

That little detail seemed to intrigue Shiro, smirking softly.

“A friend huh? Seems like there’s some story behind that.”

 

Matt rolled his eyes as he took another bite of the pasta.

“Okay, maybe we dated back in the past. But we’re totally good now.” He reassured. Matt didn’t even know why he thought Shiro should know about it.

 

They both sat in utter silence for a minute before Matt broke the silence.

 

“So, uh, what about you? Have you ever dated anyone before?” Matt struggled with the words to say.

 

Shiro hummed in thought, as if he was debating whether he should tell or not.

 

“A few actually.” He replied.

 

Matt honestly wasn’t surprised with that answer.

 

“I figured.” He uttered before taking another bite.

 

“What does that mean?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, teasingly smirking.

 

Matt gulped down his food slowly, unable to come up with answer.

 

That’s when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pockets, saving him from further embarrassment. He excused himself as he looked at the sudden message he received from Lance

 

(7:34)

_Turn your tv on and check the news now!!!_

 

Matt scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

 

“Is something wrong?” Shiro asked, raising one of his eyebrows in curiosity.

Matt looked back up at Shiro. “Can you turn your tv on for a bit please?”

 

 

As soon as Shiro scanned through the channels of his tv, he found the news channel just in time for the news caster to be talking about the incident in 5th West. Matt sat on Shiro’s couch, trying to listen to what they had to say. Shiro stood by the side, staring blankly at the tv. Then a portion of Rolo’s interview came up within the news. Shiro’s eyes almost shot up at seeing Rolo’s face, making his grip on the remote become a little tighter.

 

“After arriving at the hospital and waking up, I admit that I kinda remembered something about last night. I saw some kind of light… some bright pair of lights before passing out. Then I think I experienced some kind of pain on my neck for some reason. It’s gone now though…” Rolo explained while he was resting upon the hospital bed.

 

Matt was biting at his thumb as he listened to the rest of the news about the incident. After a while however, they moved into a whole different topic. Matt heaved a sigh in defeat, leaning back onto the couch.

 

“This is so weird…” He uttered.

 

Shiro remained silent, crossing his arms to himself.

 

“You’re gonna have to be careful out there, Shiro. Things can get really weird at night…” Matt looked up at Shiro, who continued to stare blankly at the television.

 

“Things are completely changing.” He uttered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 done!
> 
> Just in case you all are wondering, the blood that Shiro drinks is mostly coming from animals, especially miniature ones (like rats). The blood he keeps in the wine bottles are all actually animal blood. But he does need a fix of human every now and then, like every other vampire.
> 
> Next chapter will bring out more new characters hopefully   
> So stay tuned!


	6. Company Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week has passed since Rolo's incident.  
> Matt is excited over Altea's development with a new tech corporation  
> and Shiro is heavily frustrated with work

* * *

 

“Man, I know I’ve only been gone for a week, but I almost missed eating café food.” Hunk grinned, cutting a piece of his food as he started eating.

 

Lance huffed in reply. “Oh yeah? And what about your main guys, huh? Didn’t miss them one bit?”

 

Hunk sheepishly smiled while Matt snickered at his reaction.

 

“Of course I missed you both! I missed having lunch with you guys at the café. Although, I have to admit, I’m gonna miss all those dishes my mom and grandma would prepare together in the kitchen. Shay really wanted to stay as well.” Hunk heaved a sigh.

 

Lance groaned, resting his chin on his palm. “Tell me about it. My mom used to cook a whole lot of food for us all the time too.” He added.

 

Matt smiled before taking a bite out of his food, chewing it before speaking.

“Speaking of family, Pidge is coming tonight.”

 

Both Lance and Hunk seem to beam at that.

“Oh yeah! How long is she staying for?” Lance asked.

 

“For a week. That’s why I’ve been stacking up on food lately.” Matt chuckled.

 

“Great. I’m already planning on raiding your house and causing havoc around the city with her brilliant ideas.” Lance twiddled with his fingers, smirking menacingly.

 

“There will absolutely be NO PRANK CALLS.” Matt stressed.

 

Lance pouted at that. “Aw come on Matt! You know its tradition for both Pidge and I! Plus, you were in it once!”

 

“Yeah. ONCE. And that was way back.” Matt added, sipping on his ice cold drink.

 

Hunk just tuned into their conversation, chuckling every now and then.

“You guys should come over at our house for lunch sometime. I’m sure Shay would love to see Pidge.”

 

Matt and Lance both looked at each other, beaming in joy.

“We should have a barbeque!” Lance replied.

 

“Oh yeah, that’d be great! I’ll invite Coran over as well. Oh, and maybe you can invite your neighbor too, Matt.” Hunk teased, grinning.

 

At the mention of Shiro, Matt completely grew flustered in the inside.

“I mean, I guess I’ll try to invite him over.”

Lance rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Oh please. I know you guys have been hanging out lately. I wouldn’t even be surprised if you guys are already hooking up.”

 

Matt turned red over the statement. “We are NOT hooking up.”

 

“Not yet~” Lance smirked, breaking into laughter.

 

Matt glared at Lance, feeling rather embarrassed.

 

“How’ve you two been, by the way?” Hunk rested his chin upon his hands, curiosity plastered upon his features.

 

Matt paused for a moment before speaking. “Well, we’re actually doing pretty great. And yes, Lance, you’re right; we have been hanging out a lot recently. But we’re definitely not hooking up, or anything like that. I mean, we’re both usually busy at work during the day. I basically only get to see him at night.” He explained.

 A week passed by since the incident and Matt and Shiro have been hanging out a lot more lately. Matt’s usually the one to come over at Shiro’s so that he could come and play some tunes using his record player. He’s been wondering if he was getting annoyed with him coming over all the time but so far, Shiro’s been as nice as he’s ever been. Plus, Shiro’s been preparing meals in advance for Matt every night when he comes over. It was almost like a nightly routine for him to come over his house.

 

Both Lance and Hunk tuned in, nodding slowly.

“Well, maybe that’s why you should invite him to the cook out. It’s gonna be on a weekend anyway. Plus, I’m sure everyone would love to meet Shiro.” Hunk encouraged with a smile.

 

“Yeah. You should definitely invite him over so that Pidge and I could tease you constantly about it.” Lance smirked deviously.

 

Matt raised an eyebrow in reply. “Oh yeah? Well how’s your lovely neighbor doing then? I guess you wouldn’t know since you haven’t gotten to know much about him yet.” He retaliated.

 

But Lance merely replied with a smirk. “Who says I haven’t?”

 

Both Matt and Hunk looked at Lance with a startled look.

“What?!” They both said in unison.

 

Lance ran a hand through his own hair. “Yeah, yeah. I actually got to hang out with him quite a bit, no big deal.”

 

“No big deal? Lance, you’ve been pretty obsessed with him for almost over a week now.” Matt replied.

“Yeah dude. But seriously, I’ve been gone for only a week, and a lot of stuff is going down already.” Hunk added.

 

Lance seemed to be deep in thought before replying. “Yeah, I mean. I’ll admit, there’s a whole lot of mystery in the guy…” He whispered.

 

Matt and Hunk shared look of confusion.

“Like… what?” They both asked in unison.

 

Lance shook his head. “Nothing.”

 

Matt and Hunk both looked at each other, looking for answers. Both could tell that Lance was acting rather odd. He’s never one to keep secrets, especially from them. But they both agreed in unspoken terms to just let it slide.

 

“Oh yeah, you never actually told us your neighbor’s name.” Hunk changed the topic immediately.

 

Lance seemed to perk up at the question. “Oh I didn’t? Oh, well his name is-“

 

Before Lance could continue, the hospital bells chimed in.

 

“Matt Holt. Head to Room E-3105, please. Thank you.” The announcer repeated twice.

 

“Room E-3105? That’s the hospital manager’s room right?” Hunk asked.

 

“Yeah, what’s Allura calling you for?” Lance added.

 

Matt shared the same confused look as his friends did. He knew Allura has been quite busy and no one’s seen her wandering about the hospital recently.

 

“I should probably check it out. I’ll see you guys later.” Matt bid his friends goodbye as grabbed his stuff.

 

“See you man.” Both Hunk and Lance waved at Matt goodbye as he walked out of the café.

* * *

 

 Once Matt went up to the top floor, he walked towards the end of the hallway where Allura’s office was supposed to be. He knocked at the door, waiting for a signal.

 

“Come in!” A voice called out from inside.

 

Matt turned the knob of the door and entered. Looking up, he saw Allura greeting him with her signature bright smile. But she wasn’t the only one in the room. The man sitting across from Allura acknowledged him too. He and Matt had caught eyes.

Matt recognized those tantalizing eyes and that devious smirk.

 

“Good afternoon Matt. I’m so glad you could come and join us. Please, sit down.” Allura pointed towards the seat right beside her other guest.

 

Matt nodded, feeling the other’s stare lingering on him as he sat down beside him.

He rested his hands upon his lap, leaning back on the seat.

 

“Matt, I assume you’ve met Lotor. And Lotor I assume you’ve met Matt.”

 

Matt acknowledged Lotor with a smile and a nod. “Good to see you again.”

 

“Likewise.” Lotor replied with his velvet-like voice.

 

“Now, you must be wondering why I asked for you Matt. As you know, our main objective in Altea is to provide not only the patients with the health benefits and care that they deserve, but as well as for our workers.” Allura brought her hands together leaning forward.

 

“Yes. I’m aware of that.” Matt replied, focusing on Allura.

 

“And you, as a research associate, also know that Altea strives to gain knowledge to different treatments to diseases by hiring as much researchers like you as much as possible. But that is only half of the equation that will lead us to success in the near future.” Allura elaborated.

 

Matt scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “I’m assuming the other half would be the appropriate instruments to use?” He asked.

 

“Exactly!” Allura beamed with pride. “Not only that, but we’ve also been constantly looking for partnerships with different companies that could help us improve the services in Altea.” Allura added.

 

That’s when Lotor decided to join in on the topic.

 

“Not that Altea has never had the most developed and trustworthy services in the entire country. It’s one of the most astounding hospitals out there. But what Allura is trying to say is: Why stop there?” He leaned back on his chair with a smirk.

 

“Yes. And Lotor here has proposed a sort of alliance with us. He’s currently the CEO of Honerva Tech Inc.” Allura explained.

 

Matt almost jumped out of his seat upon hearing that. “Honerva Tech? You are the CEO?” He repeatedly asked.

 

Lotor chuckled at the other’s reaction. “Yes. It was my mother’s corporation but when she died, she handed the company to me.”

 

Matt slumped on his seat upon hearing about his mother passing away. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

 

Lotor shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. My mother had always wanted to form an alliance with a worthy establishment. One that suits the criteria for the technology we produce, at least. She died leaving me with that choice. And I chose Altea.”

 

Allura seemed touched over Lotor’s words but Matt was rather left in shock to know that Lotor was the CEO of one of the best tech companies out there. The mere thought of Altea emerging with Honerva Tech was making Matt feel excited.

 

“So what do you think Matt? Can we do this?” Allura turned to Matt with a hopeful expression.

 

Matt couldn’t see any reason why this wouldn’t work. It would very much improve their work as researchers.

 

“I’m sure we can.” He affirmed with a soft grin.

* * *

 

 After the meeting, Allura dismissed both Lotor and Matt as she had other business to attend to. Lotor opened the door for Matt as they walked out of Allura’s office.

 

“Wow, this is honestly really exciting. I never thought I’d meet the CEO of one of the greatest tech companies. To be honest, I’ve sort of prepared for this moment.” Matt beamed up at Lotor, who returned the compliment with a small chuckle.

 

“You flatter me Matt, really. I’m looking forward to us working together. I’ll make sure that Altea is provided with the best that Honerva Tech has to offer.” Lotor offered his hand for Matt to shake.

 

Matt glanced down at the other’s hand before raising his own and shaking Lotor’s hand. “I look forward to it too. The research facilities of Altea will definitely work their hardest as well.”

 

“I only hope for the best that Altea has to offer. And, if by chance you aren’t busy…” Lotor paused as he took something out of his velvet like blazer.

 

“Maybe you and I could discuss more about this in a more private setting. I’d definitely love to hear more about your works.” Lotor smirked as he handed Matt his calling card.

 

Matt took the card from Lotor’s hand, flipping it back and front. He looked up at Lotor with a grateful smile. “Thanks. I’ll make sure to give you a call when I’m free.” He replied, keeping the card inside one of his pockets.

 

“I sure do hope so, Matt. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to this afternoon. I hope to hear from you soon.” Lotor waved goodbye as he clicked on the elevator to go down.

 

Matt casually waved with a smile. “See you soon.” He said as Lotor took the elevator down. He picked the card up from his pocket, reading Lotor’s contact details. He could already imagine the look on Lance’s face when he finds out about this.

* * *

 

 When Matt arrived at Shiro’s apartment that evening, Shiro looked as if hadn’t slept all night. There were stacks of papers lined up on his work desk and it looked like they weren’t gonna disappear anytime soon. Matt wasn’t even sure whether he should stay or not, seeing as Shiro was clearly busy typing away at his laptop, even though he readily prepared a meal for Matt before hand. Matt felt bad for even coming over in the first place. Regardless, he decided to stay since Shiro worked hard in cooking for him, despite being busy with a ton of work. He quietly sat down on the dining table by himself, picking up the utensils on either side of his plate. Plus, the dish looked absolutely amazing. It was grilled mackerel with a side of tomatoes, carrots and bell peppers. There was also a glass of wine by the side. It would’ve been a shame if he didn’t eat it. And yet, he felt a sense of solitary from eating by himself, even though Shiro was just across the room. He quietly sat there and cut away at his plate.

 

“I’m deeply sorry about this. There’s a bit of an inconvenience happening in one of the companies I’m tied to. They’ve been emailing me non-stop for an hour now.” Shiro exhaled as he continued to type away at his computer.

 

Matt could tell from the other’s expression that he was deeply frustrated. And honestly, he couldn’t blame him either. Matt gets all kinds of emails from his colleagues every time.

 

“It’s fine Shiro, really. I’m sure it’s something completely urgent that you have to take care of. You could’ve texted me not to come, though. I mean, I hate to be a bother.” Matt reassured.

 

Shiro shook his head without looking up at Matt, too caught up in trying to type away at his computer in front of him. “This was a very unexpected matter.” He replied.

“Well, you can’t always know what to expect, right? What’s the urgent matter all about anyway, if you don’t mind me asking?” Matt asked as he took a bite out of the mackerel.

 

“You see I work for one of the private tech companies here and recently we partnered up with two different tech corporations. And now, there’s been sort of a bust with the products we offer, meaning, a large amount of the products have gone missing in just 2 days.” Shiro explained, face contorting into a frown.

 

Matt scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “That’s… That’s a bit odd. Did they try asking one of the corporations about it?”

 

“They did. But so far, there was no evidence that one of them tried to steal from us. So far.” Shiro replied.

 

Matt deemed the situation weird. He continued to finish the rest of his food as he contemplated in silence. The whole tech company topic reminded him of Honerva Tech. It seemed like a decent company, from what he knew. But then again, he has yet to find out what they’ve got to offer for Altea. He was curious to know about the other two tech corporations that Shiro was talking about, however. But before he could contemplate any further, he heard a glass shattering. He snapped out of his thoughts, face contorting into horror as soon as he realized that he accidentally pushed the glass of wine to the edge of the table, causing it to shatter.

 

Shiro stopped typing at his computer as soon as he heard the sound, looking up from his computer for the first time to see the commotion.

 

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Shiro!” Matt got out of his seat, panicking as he tried to pick up the shattered glass with his hand, only to accidentally cut himself on the process.

 

“Ah!” Matt hissed, gripping his bleeding index finger. Shiro’s eyes shot up, immediately running to Matt’s aid. Shiro held Matt’s hands, observing the cut. The blood ran down Matt’s palm, making Shiro almost shiver. He grabbed the napkin from the table and wrapped it around Matt’s hand.

 

“Wait here.” Shiro uttered as he grabbed his first aid kit from one of his cabinets.

He encouraged Matt to sit down so that he could treat the other’s wound.

Matt obeyed without protest, feeling highly embarrassed about what just happened.

 

Shiro opened one of the antiseptic pads and swiftly wiped the blood out of Matt’s finger. He held his hand as gentle as he could as he treated his wound. Matt was honestly screaming in the inside. Next he applied iodine on the cut before wrapping it around with gauze and a band-aid, letting their fingers brush up against each other in the process. “There you go.” Shiro held Matt’s hand, checking if he had other cuts and luckily there were none.

 

“Th-Thanks…” Matt caressed his own hand once Shiro let go of his hand. Shiro’s hand felt so soft to touch. Matt almost felt insecure with his own calloused ones.

“I’m really sorry about breaking your glass. I’ll buy you another one… as well as another set of napkins.”

 

Shiro shook his head as he picked up the broken glass with the bloodstained napkin.

“Don’t worry about it Matt, really. It’s just a napkin and a glass.” He offered a reassuring smile at the other before throwing the cloth and the shattered pieces of glass into the trashcan.

 

“Yeah, that I broke.” Matt stressed, heaving a sigh.

 

“It’s nothing compared to the wound you got in the process. Really, it’s fine.” Shiro reassured again, planting his hand upon the other’s arm.

 

Matt looked up at Shiro with an apologetic smile. He looked down at his watch, checking the time. He heaved a sigh in defeat. “I have to go. My sister’s arriving in a few minutes.” He said as he got up from his seat, taking his stuff from underneath the table.

 

“Of course.” Shiro nodded, leading Matt towards the door, opening it for him.

 

Matt turned around as soon as he was outside, looking up at Shiro.

“I’m really sorry for bothering you like this. I feel like I’ve been taking too much of your time, lately. I seriously get it if you think I shouldn’t come here anymore-“

 

“Why are you apologizing?” Shiro interjected.

 

Matt was taken a back by the response. “Because… I keep showing up to your house every night, eating whatever you’ve prepared for me? And in return, I don’t really do as much… I just… I just don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of you or anything like that.”

 

“I don’t.” Shiro smiled, stepping in a little closer, resting his hand upon the other’s shoulder.

 

“I know that you come here every night to have dinner with me is because of the exact same reason I want you to.” He continued.

 

Matt’s breath hitched at the statement and the warmth he felt all over his arm that slowly spread throughout his entire body.

 

“We both… want the same thing.” Shiro whispered.

 

Matt could honestly feel his heart race over how close they were right now. It was honestly making his nerves go nuts. “And what is that?” He replied as a whisper.

Shiro merely offered a soft chuckle. “Maybe we’ll come to terms with what this thing really is as long as we continue with it.”

 

Matt’s expression contorted from utter curiosity to that of pure bliss.

“Then we’ll do exactly that…”

 

Shiro nodded once, letting go of Matt’s arm.

“Good. Sweet dreams, Matt.”

 

“Good night Shiro.” Matt’s lips twitched into a soft smile as he waved goodbye, slowly heading back to his apartment while Shiro watched him leave.

 

Once Matt made it back home, he let go of his bag and slumped onto the couch. He wrapped his body around one of the pillows and hugged it with all his might. A blissful expression was plastered upon his entire face. He couldn’t stop thinking about Shiro’s words from a few minutes ago. He gripped on his chest, feeling a huge wave of emotions pour through him over their exchange. But it was all cut short once he felt his phone vibrate from his pocket. He swiped it open to a message from Pidge.

 

(8:24)

_“Get ready for your week to be ruined, loser.”_

 

“Oh god.” Matt uttered to no one, letting go of the pillow he was hugging earlier as he sent a quick reply over to his sister’s message.

 

(8:25)

_“Joke’s on you. I’ve come prepared.”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 done!
> 
> Welcome Pidge and Allura <3  
> I'm honestly gonna have fun writing about Pidge's shenanigans for the next chapter so stay tuned if you're interested in that!


	7. Pidge's Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge finds out about the strange occurrences happening around the neighborhood and Matt doesn't seem to want to tell her.  
> Meanwhile, as she ventures out in the neighborhood, she meets an unexpected companion.  
> What else could Matt be keeping from her?

* * *

 

“Aw, damn.” Matt sighed in defeat as another one of the pancakes turned out burnt from the pan. The scraping against metal can be heard throughout the kitchen as he struggled to rip the pancake out of the pan’s surface.

 

“How are those pancakes coming?” Pidge called out from the dining table as she fondled around with her phone.

 

Matt carried the plate of pancakes up to the table, sitting across from Pidge.

Pidge took one look at the pancakes, which were slightly burnt from the edges.

 

“I’ll let them speak for themselves.” Matt muttered in disappointment.

 

“You tried your best.” Pidge shrugged, holding back a snicker. She reached for one of pancakes and plopped it down onto her plate, pouring a few spoonfuls of maple syrup and a lump of butter.

 

“So, how’s it feel to be a high school graduate?” Matt asked as he stirred his hot cup of coffee.

 

“So far so good, actually. I pretty much already have a valid excuse to stay at home and spend the entire day on the computer.” Pidge munched on a large piece of her pancake.

 

“I bet Mom wasn’t too happy about that.” Matt chuckled.

 

Pidge rolled her eyes as she swallowed the pancake.

“Yeah. She takes the fun away from it. She would literally drag me outside of my room just so that I could absorb some sunlight, as if I don’t get enough of that from gym class.”

 

“Sucks to be you.” Matt chuckled as he sipped on his coffee.

 

“It’s a good thing I decided to come and visit here so that I could get away from all that stuff at home and do whatever I want here.” Pidge smiled deviously, devouring another pancake.

 

Matt saw how fast Pidge was consuming most of the pancakes in a few bites and decided to get one swiftly before the other could take it.

 

“Geez, ease up on those cakes, Katie.” He muttered as he coated his only pancaked with syrup and butter.

 

“Hey, you agreed to me visiting for a week. And now, you gotta suffer for a week.” Pidge laughed maniacally.

 

Matt glared at his sister while munching on his food.

“Don’t you even think about making prank calls. My phone bill exceeded my average amount last January. Also, I already warned Lance about both of your shenanigans.”

 

“Matt, you were in on one of those prank calls. And if I recall correctly, the manager of the establishment called us back and threatened you to stop calling or else he’d actually call the cops on us.”

 

Matt scoffed at the memory.

“Yeah right, like he could actually find us. It was Pizza Hut for god’s sake, they always ask for your address when you order. No way they could track us down from a simple phone call, I bet. Those losers.”

 

“I don’t know, Matt. Some establishments have GPS operated call trackers now. They could’ve easily tracked this address from a simple prank call with that if they chose to.” Pidge shrugged lightly.

 

“Yeah but not Pizza Hut.” Matt added, irritation visible upon his features.

 

Pidge made a “pft” sound before replying.

“If you say so, loser.”

 

Matt checked the time on his watch before making an audible gasp.

“Shit, I gotta go. Are you planning on doing anything today?”

 

Pidge shrugged in reply.

“I’d probably just chill back here. It’s way too sunny out.”

 

Matt grabbed his bag and coat from the couch.

“Good, I’d rather have you stay here all day than out.”

 

“Wait, why?” Pidge scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

 

Matt didn’t reply for a few seconds as he struggled to squeeze his feet onto his shoes.

“There’s been strange stuff going on around the neighborhood, especially at night. Seriously, it’s better if you stay in.”

 

“What?! What kind of strange stuff?” Pidge propped up on her seat, visible curiosity plastered upon her features.

 

Matt shook his head, signaling his disapproval.

“No, no way I’m telling you. I don’t trust you to stay put if I tell you what’s been going on. I don’t want you involved in this.”

 

“Well too late now! I’m already involved! Now spill!” Pidge rocked her chair back and forth.

“Nope! I’m not telling a single word. Now please, promise me you’ll stay put here.”

Matt insisted.

 

Pidge crossed her arms, shaking her head.

“Not making any promises I can’t keep.”

 

Matt groaned in exasperation, checking the time on his watch again.

“Look I gotta go. Just stay out of trouble okay?” He said as he hurriedly exited the apartment to head to the hospital.

 

Pidge slumped down on her chair, sighing in defeat.

* * *

 

 It’s been a couple of hours since Matt left to work and Pidge has been lounging around in the living room with her computer on her lap. The tv was left playing in the background as she went about her business in the computer. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Matt said about the “strange stuff” happening around the area. Due to her growing curiosity, she opted to search about it instead, which led her to scrolling through a news website, scanning for anything that could lead to information regarding incidents around Matt’s area.

 

Luckily, she found one that was published about a week ago, titled, “Local Man Attacked on 5th West Avenue Street”. She clicked on the article and read through the entirety of it. She even watched the video of the victim, Rolo’s interview with the police.

 

“Matt wasn’t kidding about the “strange stuff”.” She uttered to herself as the video came to an end. She read more information about the guy, Rolo, from the article, finding out about where he lived or worked around the area. In her mind, she knew she had to get to the bottom of all of this, since Matt also lived around the neighborhood. Before she could read any further, a scraping sound interrupted her from her focus. She looked up from her laptop, glancing around the apartment to see what caused the noise. The scraping sound erupted again from the terrace window.

Pidge was met with shock to see a wild-haired grey cat outside the terrace, clawing at the glass surface.

 

The cat meowed right at Pidge from the inside, pressing it’s paw against the window.

 

“Hey lil’ guy!” Pidge abruptly stood up from the couch, walking towards the window, sliding it open for the cat to walk in. It meowed up at Pidge as it entered the house.

 

“Hey, where’d you come from?” She propped down to her knees as she petted the cat’s head, which seemed to appreciate the gesture as it rolled down onto the floor, purring. Pidge sported a small chuckle, stroking the cat even more. She noticed that it didn’t have a collar on her.

 

“Weird. Did Matt get a new cat?” She uttered to no one while the cat played with the hem of her jacket. She dismissed the thought, figuring Matt would tell her other wise. The cat purred as it nuzzled it’s head upon her lap. Pidge couldn’t contain the squeal that escaped from her.

 

“Fine, I guess you could stay. But only until Matt comes home.” Pidge stroked the cat’s head before standing up on her feet. The cat seemed to stand up on its paws as well, following her wherever she went.

* * *

 

Pidge slung her convenient back pack upon her shoulders, fixing her glasses that Matt gave her way back when he moved out of their house to go to college. She was preparing to head out to find a record store called Blaytz Beats, where she found out that Rolo was currently working at.

 

She looked back at the cat, which was standing a few meters away from her.

“Well, I’m off. Stay put alright? Don’t break anything.” She said as she opened the door. And yet to her surprise, the cat seemed to have swiftly sneaked past her, making it out of the apartment before she could.

 

“Wha- I told you to stay in the house!” Pidge uttered in disbelief.

Unfortunately, the feline seemed too stubborn to obey Pidge’s command, which forced an exasperated groan out of her.

 “Fine, fine. You can come with me. Maybe this way, you’ll find your way home or something.” She said as she clicked on the button to the elevator. She casted her glance across the hallway where the door of the next apartment was. She’s never really met Matt’s neighbor. Plus, he’s never mentioned anything about having a neighbor ever since she arrived last night. She’s always assumed that no one rented the place. And yet, she couldn’t help but wonder whether someone actually lived there or not, and that the cat’s owner was whoever might’ve lived across the hallway from Matt.

 

Before she could contemplate any further, a soft mewl cut her off from her thoughts. When returned her gaze in front of her, she was surprised to see the cat already settled inside of the open elevator.

 

“Woah, you really know your way around, do you?” Pidge sported a wide grin as she followed the cat into the elevator, heading down to the main lobby.

* * *

 

Pidge wiped the sweat out of her brow as she walked down the street. It’s been quite sunny outside and her only regret was forgetting her water bottle back at the apartment. She looked down at the cat, which was willingly following her the entire way. It didn’t even look as parched as she was. She’s been using Google maps the entire time she’s been walking and so far, it’s been quite a journey, especially with the sun out. After turning another corner, she found the record store just across the street. She quickly walked across with the cat tailing behind her.

“Alright, I’m gonna be back in a couple of minutes. You better stay put outside while I’m gone.” She commanded the feline, which simply stared back at her with it’s sharp pupils.

 Pidge adjusted her glasses upon the bridge of her nose before entering the store.

The bell chimed in as soon as she entered, letting the door slowly close behind her.

 

“I’ll be there in a second! Don’t even think about stealing!” Someone called out from the back.

 

Pidge seemed confused over the statement.

“Who would wanna steal from a record store?” She thought to herself.

 

After a few seconds, a tall man came up from the back, walking towards the counter. But he did not in anyway resemble Rolo. He had slightly wild hair coming from each side of his head and wore an open multicolor vest with some baggy pants. He carried a harmless and friendly expression upon his face, which Pidge was grateful for.

 

“Hey! Welcome to Blaytz Beats. How can I help you?” The man offered a wide grin.

 

Pidge casually waved at the man. “Hi. I’m actually looking for someone named Rolo. I heard he works around here?”

 

The man gave an enthusiastic nod.

“Yup! But unfortunately he’s out for lunch. But I’m pretty sure he’ll be back in a few minutes.”

 

Pidge beamed at the statement.

“Great! I can wait. I’m Pidge, by the way” She offered a hand for the man to shake.

 

“Blaytz. And what about this lil’ guy?” Blaytz looked down their feet as he shook Pidge’s hand.

 

Pidge scrunched her eyebrows in confusion before looking down, shocked to see the cat settled on the ground.

 

“Hey! I told you to stay put outside!” She immediately grabbed the cat, holding it between her arms.

 

Blaytz chuckled in delight. “Seems like you’ve got a loyal fellow with ya.” He said, petting the cat’s head, which seemed to appreciate the attention.

 

“She’s not mine. She’s actually been following me around all day. “ Pidge replied as she struggled to carry the heavy cat.

 

“Huh. Well I’m not surprised. Cats tend to latch onto random people they see. But it comes off as a rare occurrence.” Blaytz slowly took the heavy cat from Pidge, wrapping his hands below it’s arms.

 

“Really? Well, I’ve only ever been familiar with our own cat back at home, so I never really knew about other cats.” Pidge replied.

 

Blaytz hummed in agreement, settling the cat between his arms.

“Yeah. Cats can be unpredictable most of the time. They’ll make you work for their approval. But in the inside, they’re total softies.” He said as he nuzzled the cat.

 

“You seem to really know a whole lot about cats.” Pidge chuckled.

 

“Well, my boyfriend has one back at his own apartment. Since I come and visit him most of the time, I had no choice but to get along with his cat as well. Although, I’ll admit, every time I visit, it feels like I’m dealing with not only one cat, but two.” He laughed, settling the cat back down on the ground, which brushed it’s body around his legs.

 

“This one seems to be a lot more friendly than my boyfriend’s cat, though.” He added.

 

Pidge’s lips twitched into a smile as she observed the cat snaking around her legs as well. Before anyone could utter another word, the bells chimed in from the front door. Blaytz looked up, beaming at the person by the door.

 

“Rolo! There you are!” He called out.

 

“Hey boss. Sorry I’m late. Got caught up on traffic.” Rolo casually waved at Blaytz.

 

Pidge perked up as soon as Rolo entered the door.

 

“Don’t give me that! That’s Keith’s excuse! You live a few blocks from here!” Blaytz scolded Rolo, who seemed to remain relaxed as he sat on the counter.

 

Pidge decided to cut in between them.

“Hey, excuse me, you’re Rolo, right?”

 

Rolo and Blaytz immediately stopped their little banter.

 

“Yeah, that’s me. Wait… Do I know you from somewhere?” Rolo squinted his eyes at Pidge.

 

“No, I don’t think so?” Pidge raised an eyebrow.

 

Rolo hummed in thought before speaking.

“Yeah I do. You look really familiar from someone I met about a week ago. What was his name? Matt?”

 

Pidge perked up at the mention of her older brother.

“Wait. You know Matt?”

 

“Yup. He came by almost a week ago to buy a record.”

Rolo replied, leaning back on the chair.

 

In her mind, Pidge understood why Matt didn’t want to bring anything up to her, seeing that he was pretty much acquainted with the victim of the incident.

“Oh. Well, I’m his little sister, Pidge. And I was wondering if I could ask you a few things about the incident that happened to you a week ago.”

 

Rolo seemed to have frozen from his seat while Blaytz tuned in from the side of the counter.

 

“Oh. Well, uh, I don’t think I can give you any more information aside from what I’ve said in the news, cus’ that’s clearly all I remember.” Rolo scratched the back of his head.

 

“You lost a whole lot of blood even without sustaining any injuries. But you said in the interview that you experienced pain on your neck?” Pidge asked.

 

Rolo nodded slowly, bringing a hand up the nape of his neck.

“Yeah… As if something bit into me or whatever.”

 

Pidge paused for a moment before asking any other questions.

“Do you have any scars on your neck?”

 

“I checked a whole lot of times to see if there was. I even told the doctors about the pain on my neck when I was attacked. But there were no scars whatsoever.”

Rolo sighed, shoving his hands down to his pockets.

 

“That’s… That’s really weird.”

Pidge uttered, expression contorting into confusion.

 

“Unfortunately, that’s not the only case that happened though.” Blaytz cut in.

 

Pidge and Rolo immediately turned to him.

“What do you mean?” Both of them asked in unison.

 

“About three or four years ago, the same case happened in Baku Bay. I was taking a vacation out there that time. Then one day, one of the locals discovered some guy passed out on the side of the beach. Apparently he lost a whole lot of blood too, even without any sort of injury.” Blaytz explained

 

A grim expression appeared beyond Pidge’s face upon hearing Blaytz’s story.

Meanwhile, the wild-haired cat plopped up onto the counter, surprising Rolo.

 

“Woah, where’d this cat come from?” He asked, slowly petting it.

 

* * *

 

Back at the apartment, Pidge was huddled up on the couch, researching in her computer. Apparently, there were only a few articles found about the Baku Bay incident, and unfortunately, each one of them said the same information as the other. But in her mind, she knew the answer. She knew that whatever was causing these incidents to happen was definitely something out of the ordinary.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted as soon as she heard the door open. Matt appeared from the entrance, closing the door behind him.

 

“Hey… woah.” Matt looked around the apartment, expression filled with utter disbelief.

 

“You… you didn’t trash the place.” He added.

 

Pidge rolled her eyes, setting her laptop down.

“No, its actually filled with vile shit, you’re just not seeing straight.” She sarcastically remarked.

 

Matt chuckled, setting his bag onto the floor. Before he could make his way to the living room, his eyes caught an empty cup of caramel Frappuccino on top of the kitchen counter. He grabbed it in suspicion, frowning at Pidge.

 

“Pidge. What the hell is this?” He asked.

 

“Uh… Trash?” She smiled, sheepishly.

 

“You went out, didn’t you?” Matt raised an eyebrow.

 

Pidge groaned, slumping on the couch.

“Okay, okay I did! I couldn’t help myself. I needed to find out what the hell you were talking about this morning, so I went out and found Rolo and asked him a few questions about the incident and that shit didn’t add up, but then this guy named Blaytz said he remembered a case similar to Rolo’s a few years back. And now… Now you probably hate me for it.”

 

Matt’s expression contorted to that of utter shock.

“What the hell! That’s not what I meant! I can’t believe you! You went out and did exactly what I told you not to do!”

“Wait, what? Well what did you think I was gonna do?” Pidge retorted.

 

“I was gonna say that you should’ve brought me home a cup of caramel Frappuccino too!” Matt flailed the empty bottle around.

 

“Oh.” Pidge uttered, eyes widening upon realization.

 

Matt slightly bumped his head a few times onto the counter.

 

“Enough Matt! You can’t keep me here for a week and expect me not to find out about whatever it is that’s going on in here.” She stood up from the couch.

 

Matt groaned in frustration. He knew he couldn’t fight his sister on this.

“Fine! Okay, as long as you’re here, you can go around and investigate as much as you please, seeing that I can’t stop you from doing it. Luckily you’re only gonna be here for a week.”

 

“Oh, I don’t even need a week to know exactly what the hell is going on here.”

She replied with a smirk.

 

Matt raised an eyebrow in reply.

 

“Matt, did you ever think that your neighborhood maybe haunted by a supernatural kind of being?” She slowly paced around the living room.

 

“What do you mean, like, ghosts?” Matt retorted.

 

Pidge shook her head at the statement.

“More like the ones that hunt at night and suck on your blood and leave no trace of evidence whatsoever.”

 

Matt raised an eyebrow at the statement.

“Vampires?...”

 

Pidge nodded slowly in reply.

 

Matt paused for a moment before forcing a chuckle.

“That… That can’t be real.”

 

“Or maybe a bat. A really hungry bat with magical powers.” Pidge shrugged lightly.

 

“You can’t be serious…” Matt uttered.

 

“How else can you explain the incident that happened a week ago?” Pidge retorted.

 

Matt froze in his spot, contemplating on the thought.

“Think about it Matt. Remember that one night at summer camp with Mom and Dad? It’s not entirely impossible.” Pidge added.

 

Before Matt could contemplate any further, a figure plopped on top of the kitchen counter, knocking him out of his thoughts.

 

“Whisky?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion over seeing the familiar cat right in front of him.

 

“Whisky?” Pidge reiterated in confusion.

 

Matt stroked the cat’s head, which lay down on the counter, purring.

“Yeah, her name is Whisky. How’d she get here?”

 

“She suddenly popped outside of the terrace this afternoon and she’s been following me around all day.” Pidge explained.

 

Whisky jumped out of the counter and landed on the floor.

 

“Yeah well we better give her back to Shiro. He’s probably looking for her.” Matt made his way towards the door.

 

“Wait, what? Who’s Shiro?’ Pidge asked from the living room.

 

Once Matt opened the door however, he was surprised to see Shiro right outside of their apartment, about to right their doorbell.

 

“Shiro!” Matt beamed at the man in front of him.

 

“Hey Matt, I’m sorry, I know you’re busy but you forgot your record back at my place. I thought that you might be looking for it.” Shiro smiled softly as he handed Matt his Miles Davis record.

 

“Oh right! I almost completely forgot about that. Oh by the way, Shiro, this is my sister, Pidge.” Matt took the record from him and urged his sister to come forward.

 

Pidge found herself right in front of Matt’s neighbor, unsure of whether she should shake his hand or not. Luckily Shiro offered his first, shaking her hand.

 

“Hello, Pidge. It’s great to finally meet you. Matt’s told me a whole lot about you and your family.” Shiro said with a big bright smile.

 

“Yeah? He hasn’t told me about you.” Pidge grinned back at Shiro while slowly looming her head back to glare at Matt.

 

Shiro sported a soft chuckle.

“Well it was my idea to be introduced to you personally. Matt just wanted to keep it as a surprise.” Shiro looked at Matt with a smile.

 

Matt knew it was a lie. But he was damn sure he was gonna go with it.

“Yeah Pidge. I wanted to introduce you both when Shiro and I weren’t busy. So uh… Surprise?”

 

Pidge looked at both Matt and Shiro before nodding.

“Seems fair.”

 

Suddenly, Whisky mewled and decided to jump right towards Shiro. He was alert enough to catch her into his arms, grinning.

“Whisky! This is where you’ve been all day?”

The cat mewed once again.

 

“This is your cat?’ Pidge asked, disbelief decorating her features.

 

Shiro nodded enthusiastically.

“Hopefully she wasn’t too much of a bother, was she? She likes to roam around the neighborhood most of the time. And it seems like she found a new friend.”

 

Pidge seemed to beam at that statement.

“Yeah! Whisky’s pretty cool. I don’t know why you named her Whisky but I still think she’s great.”

 

The cat purred in reply.

“Well, I guess it’s best we leave now. It’s so nice to meet you, Pidge. I’ll see you around Matt.” He called out towards the other.

 

Matt waved his hand, smiling softly.

“Goodnight Shiro.” He uttered before slowly closing the door.

 

When Matt turned back around, Pidge had a teasing smirk upon her face.

 

“Wh-What?” Matt stuttered.

 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you already had a neighbor!” Pidge exclaimed.

 

“Well, now you know.” Matt couldn’t help the blush that formed upon his cheeks.

 

“Why the hell are you blush- Oh.. Oh my god. You like him!” Pidge grinned widely, jumping up and down excitedly.

 

Matt groaned, pushing Pidge out of his way as Pidge continued to laugh and tease him about his big fat crush on his neighbor.

 

“Now I definitely have a goal to complete this entire week! Don’t worry Matt, by the end of my entire visit here, you and your neighbor are gonna be dating!” Pidge laughed maniacally in the background while Matt continued to groan in frustration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 done!
> 
> This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written in the story.  
> It was exciting to write Pidge's chapter and I had a really great time writing it.
> 
> But what could've happened back at summer camp with their parents?  
> Will Pidge get Matt and Shiro to date by the end of the week?
> 
> Stay tuned!


	8. A Coalition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altea and Honerva Tech are finally emerging   
> Matt and his friends decide to plan a cook out  
> Will Shiro be invited?

* * *

 

Days passed since Pidge arrived and Matt found himself cornered by different important meetings with his colleagues, discussing the preparations needed for Altea and Honerva Tech’s coalition. Ever since their alliance was announced throughout the entire country, both institutions complied with the idea of throwing an event that will officially bind both Altea and Honerva Tech together.

Matt and his colleagues had to cooperate with Lotor’s henchmen in terms of altering the entire research lab. Most of Altea’s facilities received the same treatment as they did.

Matt’s limbs were spent from having to keep up with the changes that’s been constantly happening around the hospital. A number of trucks would continuously come in and out of Altea, carrying all kinds of Honerva Tech machinery. It was honestly making things a tad bit rowdy around the hospital. Lance and Hunk shared the same feelings as he did over the entire development.

Matt solely wished it could all be over before the big event. Shiro’s also been quite busy and although they check in on each other by texting, Matt hasn’t seen much of him lately ever since Shiro returned his record back to him.

 To make matters worse, Pidge wouldn’t cut him some slack about his ever-growing crush on his hot neighbor. She vowed to unite both him and Shiro by the end of her visit, and honestly, Matt would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in what she’s got planned for that. But inside, Matt had his doubts about the development between him and Shiro. He honestly craved to see more of the other, but he knew Shiro took his work seriously. He wished he didn’t only get to see him during the night, when Shiro was completely free from work, at least that’s what he was told.

 

“Matt. You’re spacing out again.” Pidge called out from the couch, where she was happily eating a tub of ice cream.

 

Matt blinked a few times, shaking his head lightly to train his focus back to the screen of his laptop. He was sending a few emails back and forth between his colleagues and somehow in the process, his mind wandered over the thought of Shiro.

 

“You’re not thinking about Shiro, are you?” Pidge teased, eating a spoonful of ice cream.

 

Matt scoffed at her direction, rolling his eyes from behind his laptop.

“Just eat your ice cream.” He mumbled, continuing to tap his fingers onto the keyboard.

 

Pidge smirked deviously at Matt’s reply, leaving him alone to do the rest of his work.

* * *

 

 When Matt arrived at the hospital the next day, the whole place was packed with people. Parents, children and the elderly alike were present, waiting for the event to start. Pidge decided to come with him as well, giving him utmost support.

 

“Wow. Never thought anyone would be thrilled enough to attend anything like this before.” She uttered, shoving her hands inside of her pockets as she looked at the ever-growing crowd.

 

“Same here.” Matt heaved a sigh.

 

“Hey! There you guys are!” A voice called out from behind them.

 

Matt and Pidge turned around to see Lance, Hunk and Shay as they walked towards them with bright grins on their faces. Both Lance and Hunk beamed at seeing Pidge, almost tackling her to the ground out of sheer joy once they got a hold of her.

Matt chuckled at the scene, standing beside Shay who seemed amused over the development.

 

“Pidgeon! It’s been such a long time! Your hair is almost as scruffy as Matt’s now!” Lance teased as he ruffled Pidge’s hair, messing it all up.

 

“Yeah dude, it’s so rare to see you out and about like this! Did Matt pay you to come out of the house?” Hunk added, hugging Pidge tight.

 

Pidge groaned, trying so hard to wiggle out of their grasp.

“Alright, alright! I get it! You all miss me, now can you all please let me down?”

 

Shay chuckled softly at all three of them.

“Why do I feel like this is gonna mean trouble for the next few days?”

 

“Cus it is and it will be.” Matt replied, squinting his eyes at both his friends and his sister.

 

The slight screeching of a microphone was heard from in front of the podium, catching the entire crowd’s attention. Even Hunk and Lance halted from messing with Pidge any further as they looked up front. A lady with short dark hair tied up smoothly from the back carried a sullen expression as she took hold of the mic.

 

“Good morning everyone. Thank you for patiently waiting as we continue to prepare for the grand event that we’ve all prepared for you to day. I’m Acxa, and I am the head of Human Resources Department at Honerva Tech Inc. Today, I am tasked with introducing you all to our humble speakers of this event. The first speaker I’ll be introducing is the CEO of Honerva Tech Inc., himself. Please bring your hands together for Lotor.” The woman at the podium brought her hands together, encouraging the entire crowd to clap ceremoniously as well. Lotor climbed the podium with his signature smirk plastered upon his face, slightly toying with his tie. The entire crowd continued to clap their hands, cheering enthusiastically at Lotor.

Matt clapped his hands a few times before Lotor started speaking.

 

“Thank you, Acxa. First of all, I’d like to thank you all for coming today. I must admit, it’s been quite a struggle for the past week of trying to pull this whole event together, but if it’s wasn’t for your help and your unconditional support, we all wouldn’t have been here at this moment today. So, give yourselves a round of applause.” Lotor brought his hands together with a big smile while the entire crowd went wild as they cheered continuously.

 

“Talk about struggle, this guy doesn’t seem like he’s had to stay around when they were reshaping the entire place…” Lance scoffed, crossing his arms against his chest.

 

“Well, I heard he and Allura have been spending a whole lot of time together. I still can’t believe that Altea and Honerva Tech’s decided to come together.”

Hunk added.

 

“You know what I can’t believe? That this guy is the ACTUAL CEO of Honerva Tech! Me and Matt practically bumped over him back in the gym almost weeks ago!”

Lance stressed, flailing his arms around.

 

A few more board of directors came onto the podium after Lotor to give their piece. Allura was the last speaker introduced to the crowd, whom everyone was pretty much familiar with. The introductions were all pretty brief and short than what Matt personally expected. Lotor, Allura and the rest of the board of directors took pictures on stage right after. Cameramen and reporters alike were also present in the event. Acxa climbed up the podium, pushing through a bunch of cameramen to reach the mic.

 

“We’d like to thank everyone for coming to this event. The Q and A will begin in a few minutes in room E-923. We’ve got a bunch of activities for everyone around. Feel free to explore around our sponsor’s stalls as well as the inflatable slides around the corner. And everyone, have a pleasant experience here in Altea.”

Acxa announced before leaving the podium.

* * *

 

 “Man, that whole event went well than how I expected.” Lance uttered as he munched into his burger

 

“Yeah, considering the fact that we only had a week to prepare for it. Seems like a desperate call for Honerva Tech’s part.” Hunk replied.

 

Despite how well prepared the event was, the only downside was the lack of food around. Lance and Pidge seemed pretty pumped about the inflatables even more than the children in the event were, but right after a few minutes of jumping around, even they got tired of it. After exploring most of what the stalls had to offer, Matt and everyone else decided to grab lunch at Vrepit Sal’s.

 

“I actually liked what Allura presented back there. Seems like Altea’s definitely got an even brighter future ahead now with Lotor’s help.” Shay added.

Matt nodded in agreement as he chewed on his food while Pidge sat beside him, basically devouring her burger through every big bite.

 

“Well, one of the best things about this is that we get a few days off. Can’t wait for the whole cook out tomorrow.” Lance grinned.

 

Hunk beamed at the statement, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah dude, definitely! Coran’s agreed to come too. And I might’ve low-key suggested for him to bake those great cookies he bakes.”

 

“Low-key? You were almost begging him for it, Hunk!”

Shay giggled in reply.

 

“Well, regardless, he’s agreed to come around with it anyway.” Hunk shrugged, chuckling.

 

“Who else is coming?” Pidge asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

 

Hunk and Shay both hummed in thought.

 

“Well, so far it’s gonna be all of us, plus Coran. I wonder if Allura would want to come.” Shay uttered.

 

Matt shook his head, sipping his drink.

“Allura’s gotta fly out somewhere tomorrow for a conference. I don’t think she’ll be able to come.”

 

Shay seemed to slump at the statement.

“Oh, well, Allura’s always been pretty busy. A lot busier now, I bet. But anyway, feel free to invite other people to the cookout tomorrow, you guys.”

 

“Oh yeah! Matt, aren’t you inviting Shiro?”

Hunk asked.

 

Everyone seemed to look at up at Matt for his reply.

 

Matt scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.

“Well, honestly, I haven’t really asked him yet.”

 

Almost everyone uttered “what?!” at the same time.

 

“I thought you were gonna ask him a few days ago?”

Pidge stressed.

 

Matt shrugged lightly, slumping down onto the comfy seat.

“I was going to but then work’s been a real drag for the past couple of days. Plus, Shiro’s also been really busy with work, I bet.”

 

“Matt. You both text each other back and forth whenever you can.”

Pidge replied nonchalantly.

 

Hunk and Lance made a teasing “ooh” sound.

 

“So you and your neighbor are getting really close huh?” Lance teased with a grin.

 

“You should ask him later, Matt. We’d definitely love to meet him.” Hunk reassured.

 

Matt heaved a sigh, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, I’ll try. I just hope I won’t be bothering him with his work once I text him.”

 

Hunk nodded at Matt before turning to Lance.

“What about you man? You’re also inviting Keith over right?”

 

Matt perked up at the name, looking up at Lance, who grew flustered at the mention of his neighbor.

“Wait. Keith? That guy from the record store?”

 

Lance’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

“Yeah? Wait, you know Keith?”

 

“Yeah, I met him when I browsed for some albums in their store. So, Keith is your neighbor?” Matt asked.

 

Lance nodded slowly, face turning into a shade of red.

 

“Huh. That explains it then.” Matt chuckled at Lance’s state.

 

“So is he coming?” Hunk intervened.

 

Lance hummed in thought before replying.

“Well, he might come by a little later after lunch. But I’ll have to ask him again. We’ll see.” He shrugged.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly for everyone. Matt and Pidge reached home right after they stopped by the grocery to buy some ingredients for tomorrow. They both decided to prepare some pasta to share for the cookout the next day. Matt felt entirely exhausted after making that trip to the grocery and immediately excused himself to bed. Once he’s taken a quick shower and dressed up in comfortable clothes, he settled right onto his bed. His thoughts slowly drifted to Shiro, wondering what the other was doing right at this hour. He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to text him about coming to the cookout tomorrow. He grabbed his phone and scanned through his contacts for Shiro’s name and sent a brief message.

 

(7:15 pm)

_Hey Shiro, are you busy tomorrow?_

 

He got an immediate reply after a minute.

 

(7:1 _6 pm)_

_Hello Matt! I’ve got a bunch of stuff planned for tomorrow, but not too much. Why?_

 

(7:17 pm)

_I was just wondering if you wanted to come to the cookout with me and my friends tomorrow._

 

Matt noticed that Shiro didn’t reply immediately after that message. He wondered if he said something wrong in the process. After waiting for five minutes, he received a reply from Shiro.

 

(7:22)

_Sorry, Whisky was toying with my laptop. But yes, I’d love to come. Although, I might come by in the evening. I’m expected at a meeting during the afternoon. Is that okay?_

Matt slumped at his bed, hoping that Shiro could go with them to the cookout. He was also hoping for the opportunity to finally see Shiro out and about when the sun was still out. But he was happy with the reply, regardless.

 

(7:24 pm)

_Yes that’s perfectly fine! I’ll just send you the address to my friend’s house then._

 

(7:25 pm)

_Yes, thank you Matt, I’m really looking forward to it. So, how was your day?_

 

Matt leaned a little more onto his bed as he typed a reply.

 

(7:26 pm)

_It’s been a lot calmer than the last few days. I’m just glad the whole event is over with and I get a few days off._

 

(7:27 pm)

_You deserve a break from all of that. Just wind down for the next few days, alright?_

 

Matt smiled softly at the sweet reply.

 

(7:28 pm)

_Yeah. You deserve a break too. I know you’ve been working really hard all week._

 

(7:29 pm)

_Yes. Which is why I’m really looking forward to spending time with you. I think I deserve it thus far._

 

Matt grew flustered over the reply, unable to take his eyes of the phone screen. He didn’t even realize he hasn’t sent a reply yet until Shiro sent him a message.

 

(7:31 pm)

_Matt??_

 

(7:32 pm)

_Sorry, Pidge wanted to ask me something real quick._

 

He lied. Matt typed up another reply before Shiro could send him another message.

 

(7:33 pm)

_And yes, you deserve it very much. We both do._

 

(7:34 pm)

_I’m glad we both could agree._

 

Matt heaved a sigh, smiling softly as he lay on his bed, texting Shiro back and forth for the rest of the night. He went to sleep that night, hoping and wishing for a great day tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definitely a short chapter but the next few chapters will definitely involve Matt and Shiro getting a little closer *wink wink*
> 
> Also, I've been really caught up with the new trailer for season 7! *Spoiler Alert* I'm just really glad about Shiro being an LGBT rep for the show. I'm so excited to see the rest of his story with Adam. I'm curious to know what you guys think about what'll happen in the next season :D Cus honestly, I wanna discuss all kinds of theories


	9. Winner, Winner, Meatballs, Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk invites everyone for a cookout  
> Lance opens up to Matt  
> A wonderful guest arrives at night.

* * *

 

Matt yawned as he seasoned the ground meat with salt, pepper and a little bit of spices. As soon as they finished eating breakfast, he and Pidge set out to work on the kitchen. They were preparing spaghetti with meatballs for the cookout in a few hours. Pidge was able to look for a simple recipe online that’s guaranteed to taste and look good. They already had a boiling pan of noodles on the stove and blended tomatoes off to the side.

 “How are those onions coming, Pidge?” Matt called out from the corner as he started making the meatballs.

 

 Pidge replied with a sniff, clearly struggling with chopping the onions.

“It’s going great! Except the fact that I’m bawling my eyes out right now.”

She sarcastically remarked, sniffing a few more times.

 

“You said you could handle them.” Matt chuckled.

 

Pidge gave no reply as she desperately tried to chop all of the onions as fast as she could.

 

“Careful with the knife, alright? I get all kinds of accidents with that.”

Matt added.

 

“That’s cus’ you’ve got clammy hands, Matt. And you’re pretty clumsy.”

Pidge shoved the cutting board full of chopped onions on the counter.

 

Matt gasped softly, looking at Pidge with an offended expression.

“Don’t remind me!”

 

Pidge smirked deviously at Matt’s reaction, washing her hands.

“So, any news from Shiro?”

 

Matt gathered all of the meatballs in one big plate as he waited for the noodles to cook.

“He said he’ll drop by at night since he’s got an important meeting this afternoon.”

 

Pidge raised an eyebrow at the statement, drying her hands with a towel.

“You weren’t kidding about how tight Shiro’s schedule was, huh? Seems like the guy can’t really catch a break.”

 

Matt carried a solemn expression as he slowly stirred the pan.

“Yeah…” He mumbled softly.

 

Pidge could tell that something was bothering Matt from the way his demeanor changed immediately.

“You wanna talk about it?”

 

Matt perked up, glancing at Pidge.

“Talk about what?”

 

“About the economy. Obviously about Shiro, you dingus.”

Pidge stressed, crossing her arms on her chest.

 

Matt turned his gaze back to the pan, turning the stove off as he drained the noodles.

“It’s nothing really. I mean, I guess I’ve just been really looking forward to seeing him a lot more today. But… well, things like work get in the way, and there’s really nothing I can do about that.”

 

Pidge hummed in thought,lips twitching into a soft smile.

“Frustration huh?”

 

Matt ran a hand through his scruffy hair, nodding once.

“I guess you could say that.”

 

Pidge nodded once, stretching her arms out.

“Well, lucky for you. Tonight’s definitely gonna be your night.”

 

Matt raised an eyebrow at the vague statement.

“What do you mean?”

 

“Let’s just say my plan of getting you two together is coming along.”

Pidge shrugged with a devious smirk plastered upon her face.

 

Matt glared right at his sister, growing suspicious of her words.

“What are you planning to do?”

 

“That’s for you to find out later, Matt. But anyway, I gotta hit the showers.”

With that said, Pidge ran off, leaving Matt to finish the rest of the work.

 

Matt casted his glare upon Pidge’s way until she was nowhere to be seen.

He hoped that whatever she had planned didn’t involve with him embarrassing himself.

 

* * *

 

“Put your seatbelt on Pidge.” Matt ordered as soon as he noticed that the beeping on the dashboard didn’t stop. Pidge groaned as she lazily pulled on the seatbelt to her other side, clutching it safe.

 He went back to focusing on the road and his built-in GPS as he drove down the street, on their way to Hunk’s house. As soon as they reached their destination, Matt pulled over right in front of the fence. Pidge got out of the car first before Matt did to retrieve the cast iron pot of pasta from the back seat. Hunk and Shay were by the entrance of their house, waving at both of them.

 

“Matt! Pidge! You guys made it!” Shay greeted with a bright smile.

 

Matt waved back at both of them as pushed the car door closed, locking it from the inside. Hunk helped Pidge carry the cast iron pot as they all made their way inside of the house.

 

“You guys make yourselves at home. Coran’s already here as well!” Shay said as she led them all to the kitchen.

 

Their house honestly had a very home-y feel to it. Matt’s visited Hunk and Shay’s place a couple of times in the past. He noticed how some of the furniture had changed like the carpet and the tv in the living room, which was bigger compared to the last one. As soon as they reached the kitchen, they were greeted with a new face.

 

“Guys this is Coran, our neighbor. And Coran, this is Matt and Pidge.” Hunk gave the middle-aged man a pat on the shoulder. Coran had bright orange hair that was neatly combed back with a well kempt mustache. He was wearing a simple cardigan with a white collar peaking from above his neck with some light brown chino pants. He wore a very warm and welcoming expression as he offered his hand to shake.

 

“Nice to meet you both! Hunk and Shay have told me a few distinctive things about both of you. You must be Matt, the research associate, if I remember correctly?” He gave Matt’s hand a gentle but firm shake.

 

Matt nodded, returning the enthusiastic smile that Coran sported as they shook hands.

“Yes, that would be me.” He uttered.

 

“And that leaves you as Pidge, the highly-intelligent and cunning individual, I assume?” Coran shook Pidge’s hand next.

 

Pidge seemed pretty satisfied over Coran’s description of her, nodding with bright smile.

“Definitely sounds like me.”

 

“Where’s Lance?” Matt asked.

“Oh, he’s on his way. He texted me about 15 minutes ago, saying he woke up late.”

Hunk replied.

“I doubt it.” Pidge remarked.

 

“But anyway, what about Shiro? Is he coming?” Hunk asked.

“Yeah, but he’s gonna come by after a meeting this afternoon.” Matt replied as he settled down on a chair.

“That’s great! I don’t know if Lance mentioned something about Keith coming but I guess we’ll have to see once he arrives.” Hunk added.

 

“So, what do you guys have here?” Shay cut in as she opened the lid of the cast iron pot.

 

“It’s pasta with meatballs, nothing much.” Pidge replied, settling down on one of the chairs.

 

Hunk beamed at the pot, humming in delight as the fragrance of the pasta spread throughout the kitchen.

“Looks and smells amazing, you guys.”

 

“Yeah? Well today was one of my lucky days, I guess. I definitely can’t cook like you or even Shiro, for that matter. I’m glad it turned out pretty well.” Matt chuckled softly.

 

“I bet. But I gotta say, you really outdid yourself here, Matt.” Hunk continued to peer at the pot of pasta.

 

“Yeah, probably cus’ he’s trying to impress “someone”.” Pidge teased.

 

Matt groaned, burying his head upon the table.

“Please don’t start…”

 

Hunk laughed softly, high-fiving Pidge.

“Yeah, that’s actually pretty given.”

 

Coran settled across Matt, laughing along the conversation.

“Ah, young love. I remember being in that infatuated state when I was much younger. It urged me to flaunt all of my skills and talents towards the one I had my eye on. It seems to me that you’ve got yourself stuck in the same wormhole.”

 

Matt blinked a few times, trying to make sense of whatever Coran just said.

“That’s a weird way to put it but yeah. I guess you could say that. But… I don’t know if I could call it an “infatuation” or some sort.”

 

“Whatever it is that you may feel, my boy, is definitely real. Whether it’s infatuation, love or both, they are all present in time. How we act on these feelings are what could unmask the vague expectations in our hearts.” Coran emitted as if he was quoting from a novel.

 

Everyone was left appalled by his words, especially Matt.

“That’s… That’s very accurately and artistically put.” He uttered in disbelief.

 

Coran hummed in satisfaction, appreciating the compliment.

“I consider myself as a very artistic individual, so I appreciate that.”

 

“Well, I don’t doubt that. But what is it that you do? Hunk mentioned you were retired?” Matt asked.

 

“Absolutely! I used to work multiple jobs back then. But one job I was truly loyal to all these years until the day I retired was being a therapist.” Coran uttered with pride.

 

Matt’s lips twitched into a soft smile.

“Well, it definitely suits you. Which hospital did you work at?”

 

“Oh, I used to work back in Altea!” Coran replied with a wide grin.

 

Everyone seemed to marvel at statement, except for Pidge, who seemed pretty neutral about it.

 

“W-Wait, Coran! You used to work in Altea? How come I’ve never heard of this?”

Hunk asked, disbelief decorated upon his features.

 

Coran laughed, shrugging lightly.

“Well, I never thought of bringing it up until now. Plus, I’ve been retired for almost 5 years now. My niece is now handling the hospital, which was previously handled by her father.”

 

Matt shot his eyes up wide open, planting both his palms upon the table.

“Your niece? You mean, Allura?”

 

“Yes! Are you all acquainted with Allura?” Coran asked.

 

“Well Matt is pretty much the only one who’s the closest to Allura among all of us.” Hunk replied.

 

“Yeah. It’s a shame that she couldn’t be here today.” Matt added.

 

“Well, Allura’s always been on the go. Very much like her father.” Coran stated.

 

Before anyone else could say anything, the doorbell suddenly rang, catching everyone’s attention.

 

“That’s probably Lance.” Hunk mentioned as he walked towards the door and opened it. And lo and behold, it was Lance, who seemed to be carrying a box of some sort.

 

“Lance!” Everyone greeted.

 

“Hey guys! I’m so sorry I’m late; I had to run down the store to get something for the cookout. And the bus was pretty packed.” Lance exhaled as he walked into the kitchen, setting the box down.

 

“What do you have here?” Pidge poked at the box a few times.

“Churros.” Lance sported a very pleased smile.

 

“Ooh! Now we’ve got two desserts!” Shay brought her hands together.

 

“Oh right, Lance, this is Coran and Coran, this is Lance.” Hunk patted Lance on the shoulder as he introduced them both.

 

“Nice to finally meet you, Coran!” Lance shook the other’s hand enthusiastically.

 

“Likewise! Lance, the uh, goofball, am I right?” Coran sported a bright grin.

 

“Yeah! Lance the- Wait… What? Hunk!” Lance groaned in annoyance, glaring right at Hunk, who smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

 

“Wait, weren’t you supposed to go with Keith?” Matt intervened.

 

Lance froze in his spot, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah uh, well something kinda came up so he had to cancel last minute.”

 Matt and Hunk eyed each other before turning their gaze back to Lance. They could tell from the other’s expression that something happened involving Keith that Lance couldn’t say. But Lance quickly perked up, sporting his signature smile.

 “But anyway, let’s get this cookout started, shall we?” He uttered.

 

* * *

 

Everyone was settled at Hunk and Shay’s backyard, sitting in simple plastic chairs as they ate. Hunk continued to work at the grill, cooking as much barbeque as he could while Shay helped with distributing plates of food and drinks. Coran and Pidge were conversing from the side, with Pidge showing Coran something from her phone, who seemed rather intrigued either way. Matt settled down beside Lance, carrying his own plate of food.

 

“Hey.” Matt greeted, sitting beside the other.

Lance nodded with a smile, acknowledging the other.

 

“Hey. This is some great recipe you got here.” Lance twirled the pasta with his fork, taking a bite.

 

“Thanks, I’m pretty excited about dessert, myself.” Matt chuckled as he took a bite out of his food.

 

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Matt opened up the conversation.

 

“So, how are you and Keith?” Matt asked, slurping on his glass of wine.

Lance heaved a heavy sigh, pausing for a moment.

“Well… we’re fine. But lately, we’ve been sorta having problems.” Lance confessed.

“Problems?” Matt reiterated.

Lance nodded once before continuing.

“Yeah. Keith’s always been kinda distant from people, which I totally understand. I mean, getting along with people has always been kind of second nature to me. Our differences can sorta… clash every once in a while.” Lance exhaled.

“I understand… Is that the reason why he isn’t with you right now?” Matt asked.

“Yeah… We kinda had an argument last night.” Lance’s bowed his head down in sorrow.

 Matt felt bad for Lance right at that moment. He’s never seen him look so dejected for anyone before. But then again, Lance has always been good at hiding his emotions away where no one could pick them up. Whatever happened between him and Keith must’ve gotten to him so bad that Matt could evidently see his emotions spill out. He gently planted a hand upon the other’s shoulder before speaking.

 “Lance, not everyone has to get along completely. Not everyone harbors perfect relationships. Even people who are very close as you and Keith are. I don’t know who Keith is personally, but I bet that he’s someone worth to you to make you feel this way.”

 Lance slowly looked up, nodding his head in agreement.

 “I’m sure you know exactly what you need to do, Lance. And I know you both will work through your differences.” Matt offered a reassuring smile.

 Lance’s lips twitched into a soft grin, chuckling softly.

“Thanks Matt.”

 

“Hey, you guys need a refill?”

 Both Lance and Matt looked up in front of them, seeing Hunk holding a bottle of wine, smiling down at both of them.

 “I’m gonna need another round, bud.” Lance offered his empty glass.

“Yeah me too.” Matt uttered, raising his glass.

 Hunk filled their glasses up with the alcoholic beverage before filling his own, bringing his glass of wine forward for a toast. The three of them uttered “cheers” before clanking their glasses together and taking a sip.

* * *

 

After what seemed to be his 4th glass of wine of the day, Matt was settled down on the couch, tuning into everyone’s conversation. It was already past 7pm and so far, he hasn’t received a text from Shiro. Both Lance and Hunk seemed to be caught up in a heated debate about which taco place was better while Shay and Coran were off discussing about their hometowns. Pidge seemed to be at the middle of both conversations happening on both parties.

“Dude, Mexitaco’s got better stuff, believe me.” Hunk argued.

“Nope! Gringo Taco’s way more authentic!” Lance retaliated.

“No, no, no. Mexitaco’s taco shells are fuller and crunchier. Plus, they got variety!” Hunk claimed.

“Are you telling me that Gringo Taco DOESN’T have variety? They got over 20 different tacos you could choose from!” Lance asserted.

“Yeah! But it doesn’t mean they’re any better!” Hunk added.

 Lance groaned in annoyance.

“Pidge, what do you think?!”

 

Pidge was seated beside Lance, focused on the game on her phone.

“Taco Bell. No doubt.” She replied, nonchalantly.

 Both Lance and Hunk hung their heads low in frustration.

 

“You know what I miss about Brighton? The sceneries, the beach and the late night pubs. Brighton usually puts up all kinds of festivals every month or so. I haven’t been home for almost two decades ever since I worked in Altea.” Coran sighed.

 “I feel the same way. Back in Antigua, we’d have all kinds of festivals as well. Everything seemed so simple there. I spent my entire childhood living there until me and my family had to move. I haven’t been home ever since I started high school.” Shay replied, heaving a soft sigh.

 “What about you Pidge? Matt mentioned your parents are Italian. Ever had any pleasant experiences there when you were little or what not?” Coran asked, leaning his head to the side.

 

Pidge shook her head casually, still focused on trying to play her game.

“Nope. Born and raised here.”

 

Suddenly, a ringing could be heard from the entire living room, causing everyone to shift there attention towards where the sound was coming from, which seemed to be coming from Matt.

 “Matt! Your phone is ringing!” Pidge called out as she looked up from her phone.

 Matt, who seemed completely unaware of his surroundings, suddenly perked up from Pidge calling him out, shaking himself away from his trance and retrieving his phone from his pocket. He was receiving a call from Shiro, which he immediately swiped to answer, excusing himself from the living room.

 “Shiro?” Matt spoke.

“Hey Matt.” Shiro greeted.

Matt could tell that the other sported a smile from the other line.

“Hey, what’s up? Are you still coming?” Matt asked.

“Well actually… I’m already here.” Shiro chuckled from the other line.

Matt’s eyes shot up wide open at the reply.

“Oh shit- I mean, you are? Alright, well, hold on- I’ll come get you.” Matt stuttered.

Shiro chuckled at Matt’s words

“That’ll be great, Matt. Thank you.”

 Matt grew flustered from the other line, muttering a quick “see you” before ending the call. He could feel his hands get a little clammy from his nerves. He was legitimately freaking out, but overall, he felt excited. He walked back to the living room, passing by everyone before opening the front door, leading him outside where Shiro was waiting for him beyond the fence. Matt caught eyes with Shiro from across, lips twitching into a bright smile as he slowly made his way towards Shiro, opening the fence gate for him.

 

“Hey.” Matt breathed out, taking a second to take Shiro in.

 Shiro chuckled softly, smiling back at Matt.

“Hey, yourself.” He replied.

 Matt felt like he was gonna combust any time soon.

“You actually made it.”

 Shiro shrugged lightly before replying.

“I meant what I said about catching that break.”

 Matt chuckled softly, biting his lower lip.

“Yup. That you did.”

 

“I’m sorry I came later than expected. The meeting took longer than I hoped.”

Shiro exhaled.

 

Matt shook his head in reply.

“Don’t worry about that. What matters is that you made it. So, shall we go in?”

 Shiro gave a nod, smiling down at Matt.

“Lead the way.”

 

Matt could feel Shiro’s fleeting hand trail down his back for a second as he led them both into the house.

Shiro followed close behind Matt, closing the door behind them as soon as they reached inside. Matt smiled up at Shiro, feeling a little bold as he gently gripped on the other’s arm, leading him to the living room, where everyone else was. Pidge and all the others immediately looked up at Matt and Shiro as soon as they entered the room.

 “Hey everyone, this is Shiro.” Matt grinned, stepping beside Shiro, who gave a shy and slightly awkward wave while maintaining a soft smile

 “Oh hey man! Welcome! It’s so great to finally meet you! I’m Hunk Garrett.” Hunk stood up from the couch, walking up to Shiro and shaking his hand.

 “And I’m Lance McClain. We’ve heard all kinds of stuff about you from Matt.” Lance grinned, shaking Shiro’s hand as well. Matt glared at Lance while Shiro wasn’t looking.

 “Oh! And this is Shay, my girlfriend and our neighbor, Coran.” Hunk mentioned, pointing towards the other two, who acknowledged Shiro with bright smiles.

 “And of course, you already know Pidge.” Matt grinned, where as Pidge acknowledged Shiro with a nod and a casual wave. Matt looked up at Shiro, seeing the fond expression that was decorated upon the other’s face.

 “It’s really good to meet all of you. Matt’s told me a whole lot about everyone. It’s a pleasure to finally get to know you all.” Shiro acknowledged everyone in the room.

 

“I have to apologize for coming so late. I was caught up in an important meeting this afternoon.” He continued.

 Hunk waved his hand, casually.

“Work, right? It’s all good, man. We’re all glad you could make it. Anyway, you must be starving. We got some barbeque down at the table and Matt cooked some great pasta.”

 Shiro gave a nod, lips twitching into a fond smile.

“I could eat.”

 

* * *

 

Matt led Shiro towards the kitchen, offering Shiro one of the plastic plates and utensils to use. Shiro thanked him as he scanned through the food on the table. He grabbed a piece of barbeque and pasta on one plate and some churros and cookies on another. He hummed in delight over the first plate, taking his fork and twirling it around the pasta.

 “This is probably the first time I’d ever see you eat something that I’ve cooked.” Matt stated, leaning over the counter beside Shiro.

 

Shiro perked up at the statement, coming into realization.

“You’re right. And looking at it right now, it looks really good.”

 

Matt chuckled in delight, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, I hope it tastes as good as it looks. I know you don’t eat a lot much.”

 Shiro raised an eyebrow, expression contorting to that of an amused one. He brought the fork up to his mouth, taking a bite out of the pasta, slurping the strands into his mouth. He chewed it slowly, looking up at Matt as he swallowed. His tongue trailed up his lips, trying to get rid of any of the sauce out of his mouth. He offered an endearing smile up at Matt.

 “Seems like I’m gonna have to need the recipe for that one.” He uttered.

 Matt could feel his heart swell over joy, laughing softly over Shiro’s compliment. He accompanied Shiro until he could finish almost all of his food. They settled down at the living room with everyone else as soon as they cleaned up. Shiro and Matt sat beside each other on one of the couches while the others were sat across from them, aside from Coran, who seemed to be comfortable in one of the lazy boy chairs.

“So Shiro, what do you do for a living? Matt’s mentioned you work as a business counselor, am I right?”

Hunk asked as he took a bite out of the cookies Coran made.

 

“Ah yes, I’m tied with one of the local tech companies around here called Kuron Tech.” Shiro replied, getting comfortable on the couch.

 

“Huh. I must say I’ve never heard of it.” Hunk said.

 

“I’m not surprised. Kuron Tech is not a well-known company by the majority of people. The company doesn’t aim for publicity.” Shiro replied.

 

Lance hummed in thought.

“And how’s the company doing so far?”

 

Shiro paused for a moment before heaving a soft sigh.

“Well, honestly. Not so great.”

 Matt’s expression turned into that of worry and confusion.

 “The products and services Kuron Tech offers don’t vary much from an average tech company. Like I said, the company does not stand out. But over a year ago, we discovered a potential from fusing a few of our products together. We’ve gotten a head start from there on. And now, we’ve recently partnered up with two big tech corporations. But as of now, there’s been all sorts of “breakouts”, if you may call it. We’re losing more and more of our stocks everyday for some strange reason.” Shiro explained, crossing his fingers together.

 Everyone seemed speechless over Shiro’s words.

 “Woah… That’s.. That’s crazy!” Lance uttered in disbelief.

“Yeah, wait.. How could you lose most of your stocks everyday? Isn’t there some type of security around that could help you with that?” Hunk added, clearly settling his plate of cookies down onto the coffee table. Even Pidge tuned shared the same concern as she tuned into the conversation.

 “We’ve doubled our security plan since last week. But so far, nothing’s been working. And we tried questioning the other corporations about the matter, but there was hardly any proof that any of them had anything to do with it.” Shiro said.

 

That statement somehow caught Matt’s attention.

“Wait… Shiro. Which corporations have you partnered up with?”

 

Shiro turned to Matt, humming in thought.

“One of them is called Elle Inc. And the other is probably the biggest out of the two-“

 

“Honerva Tech.” Matt intervened.

 

Everyone seemed surprised over Matt’s interruption, especially Shiro.

 

“Yeah, Honerva- Wait, how do you know about Hoverna Tech?” Shiro asked.

 

“Altea has recently partnered up with Honerva Tech as well.” Lance mentioned.

 

Shiro paused for a moment, taking in that information before nodding in understanding.

 

“I forgot to tell you about that part, Shiro.” Matt sighed in defeat.

 

“No, it’s okay Matt. Don’t worry about it.” Shiro planted a hand upon the other’s shoulder in comfort.

 

Noticing that the conversation took a serious turn for everyone, Shay decided to lighten things up a bit.

“So Shiro, we’re all very curious to hear your side of the story of how you and Matt met.”

 

Everyone seemed to be intrigued over what Shiro has to say.

 Shiro chuckled softly before speaking.

“Well, let’s just say our first meeting was untimely and unexpected. But, he caught me at a time where I was in dire need of help. And he was there for me, even if we haven’t been properly introduced. I guess you could say I owe him my entire existence.” He uttered those words as he looked up at Matt with the most endearing expression he’s ever seen from him.

 “You don’t owe me anything, Shiro. I think anyone would’ve done the same thing as I did if they saw their neighbor passed out in their own apartment, Shiro.” Matt replied with a smile.

 

“True. But what I’m trying to say is that you came at the right time.” Shiro stated.

 Matt’s expression contorted from astonishment to endearment from that statement.

 

  
Everyone seemed to peer over the two with hopeful expressions, excluding Pidge for that matter, who seemed more than ready to bounce out. The rest of the evening went by as everyone continued to converse with each other. Shiro would laugh along over Hunk and Lance’s shenanigans and Coran’s stories to tell. After another hour of fun, everyone agreed to call it a night. Hunk and Shay thanked everyone for coming as they left the house. Coran waved goodbye towards the rest as he walked his way back home, which left Lance, Pidge, Matt and Shiro right outside where their cars were. Matt reached around for his keys from his pockets, only to find out that they were empty.

 “Looking for this?” Pidge dangled the keys around her index finger.

 “Wait, how did you get those? C’mon give ‘em back.” Matt tried to reach out for the keys but Pidge swayed away just in time.

 “Nope! Lance and I are gonna have a sleepover, remember? And we’re gonna have to use this car.” Pidge replied with an expression that could’ve fooled anyone, but Matt knew exactly what she was up to. Lance nodded enthusiastically beside Pidge as if he was definitely in on this entire plan.

 “Besides, I bet Shiro would love to drive you home.” Pidge sported a grin.

 Matt looked up at Shiro with an apologetic look while Shiro reassured him with a smile.

 “That’s alright Pidge, I’ll take Matt home. You guys have a fun night, alright?” Shiro replied.

 Lance nodded, giving them both a thumbs up.

“Yup! You guys enjoy too!”

 “Yeah! Take care of my brother, Shiro!”Pidge called out as she and Lance entered the car.

 

All Matt could do was glare at the windows of the car as it slowly started up and left the road.

 Matt felt a fleeting touch against his waist, making his body jostle slightly. He turned to Shiro with a soft and yet tired smile.

 “Wanna hangout at my place for a bit?” Matt asked.

 Shiro nodded once before replying.

“I’d like that very much.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 done!
> 
> So those 2 taco places that Hunk & Lance were arguing about are actually based on actual taco restaurants from where I live. And Coran, Coran the gorgeous man is finally introduced! I'm also planning on making a side story for Lance and Keith that corresponds on what's going on behind them in this fic.
> 
> Anyway, stay tuned for Matt and Shiro's night back at Matt's place!


	10. More Than Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt invites Shiro to hang out at his place for a while.  
> Things get real serious between them.

* * *

 

It was a quick and calm journey going back to their apartment complex. Shiro silently drove beside Matt, while Matt leaned back on the passenger’s seat, sitting quietly in his own thoughts. The soft tunes of Shiro’s radio was playing in the background. To Matt, it was honestly supposed to be a peaceful moment if it wasn’t for his own nerves getting the best of him. Shiro even switched to a station that played soft jazz for him.

 

“I hope I cleaned the house enough.”

“Did I leave any dirty clothes anywhere?”

“Did I leave the stove on?”

 

Matt’s mind was completely bombarded with questions that were indeed making his nerves a whole lot worse. He brought his hands together, holding them tight enough against each other as he kept his gaze on the window beside him. A minute went by as he remained in the same position when he felt a hand grasp both of his hands. He looked up at Shiro, who was still focused on the main road except he was driving with one hand now. His other hand reached out to gently hold Matt’s tight-gripped hands.

 

“You doing ok?” Shiro glanced at Matt with a soft expression.

 

It took Matt a few moments to reply before his lips twitched into an endearing smile, letting the grip on his hands go loose over the warm gesture. “Yeah.” He replied, softly.

 

Shiro replied with a nod, slowly linking both of their hands together before focusing back on the road. Matt inhaled softly at the look of their hands together. His hand slowly worked up the courage to clasp back upon Shiro’s hand. He loved the warm feel of the other’s hand on his own. Matt wished the moment would last, which it luckily did as Shiro continued to hold his hand until they reached back home. They’re hands unclasped as soon as they reached the parking area. Matt shoved his hands upon his pockets as he followed Shiro into the main lobby. They maintained a certain distance between each other as they waited for the elevator.

Matt breathed steadily, training his gaze down onto the floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened up, Shiro led Matt inside with a gentle pat on his back. They both settled inside as Matt pressed the button to their floor. Matt settled his hands upon his sides as soon as the elevator doors closed shut, taking them up to their floor. Shiro let Matt walk out of the elevator first before him. Matt fumbled over his keys, almost dropping them onto the floor. He keyed the door open, leading both of them in. Shiro followed closely behind Matt, chucking his shoes off.

 

“Would you like some coffee?” Matt uttered, looking back at Shiro.

“Sure.” Shiro replied with a smile, setting his shoes over to the side.

“Alright. Make yourself at home, I’ll be back in a moment.” Matt returned the smile before making his way to the kitchen.

 

Shiro nodded in reply, walking towards the living room as Matt set out to make some coffee. Matt observed Shiro with his keen eye as the coffee maker did it’s job. Shiro was smiling down a few of the picture frames settled on top of one of the tables. Most of the pictures Matt had displayed in the living room were of his family. It made Matt look back at the time when he visited Shiro’s apartment and he found nothing of the sort other than furniture.

Shiro continued to scan around the living room before making his way towards the big glass doors leading to the balcony. He leaned onto the glass surface, crossing his arms as he watched the night from the inside with a soft expression. Matt found himself in a trance right where he stood. He was cut off from his dazed state as soon as the coffee maker made a click sound. He quickly poured the piping hot coffee unto two cups before making his way towards Shiro. Shiro turned his gaze over to Matt, thanking him softly as Matt offered him his cup of coffee.

 

“Careful, it’s hot.” Matt warned as he blew the heat out of his own cup.

“Of course.” Shiro gave a laugh, before blowing on his own as well.

Matt’s lips twitched into a smile before carefully sipping into his coffee.

 

“So… Dinner was nice.” Shiro opened up, holding his cup steadily.

“It was, wasn’t it?” Matt replied.

Shiro gave a nod, smiling.

“You’ve got such great friends, Matt.” He uttered, sipping on his cup.

 

“Yeah. They are pretty great.” Matt chuckled.

A moment of silence passed by between them as they both gazed out the window. Shiro heaved a soft sigh before speaking again.

 

“I haven’t had that much fun in a long time until tonight. So thank you, Matt.” Shiro whispered.

Matt shook his head.

“You don’t have to thank me Shiro, really-“

“No, please, I really do. You’ve been nothing but incredibly generous towards me. Honestly, it’s… it’s something I’ll forever be grateful for.” Shiro exhaled.

 

Matt was at a loss for words as he looked up at Shiro. With enough courage, he took Shiro’s hand with his, surprising Shiro the slightest bit.

“Same with you. You’ve been more generous than I’ve ever been. If there’s anyone for me to thank, it would definitely be you.”

 

Shiro’s gaze trailed down from Matt’s face down to their linked hands.

“I meant what I said back there… About… owing you my entire existence.”

 

Matt’s eyes widened at the slightest, unable to form a reply towards the statement. Shiro looked up at Matt once again, lips twitching into an endearing smile.

 

“You… You don’t mean that.” Matt uttered, sipping on his cup, looking away from Shiro.

“Why wouldn’t I mean it?” Shiro asked, taking a step closer.

“It’s… it’s a bold statement, Shiro. You don’t owe me THAT much.” Matt replied, letting go of Shiro’s hand.

Shiro seemed dejected about the loss of warmth but maintained his soft expression.

“Bold but true. You don’t have to agree with me… But I can’t deny that that’s how I feel.”

Matt shook his head, slightly turning away from Shiro.

“That’s probably the most foolish way to say it, Shiro. Even I wouldn’t say it like that when it came to you.”

Shiro leaned his head to the side, observing the back of Matt’s head with a smile.

“Then how would you say it?”

Matt desperately tried to remain his cool while he wasn’t facing Shiro. He sipped at his cup again before speaking.

“Definitely something straight-forward. And not as bold as how you just put it right now.”

A laugh escaped from Shiro, clutching his own stomach gently.

 

“What’s so funny?” Matt uttered with his head turned away.

“You. You’re pretty funny.” Shiro chuckled a few more times.

Matt rolled his eyes, finishing the rest of his coffee in one sip.

Shiro let a moment of silence engulf between them as he gathered the words he was about to say.

 

“So, why don’t you show me?” Shiro asked.

Matt seemed confused over the statement.

“Show you what exactly?”

“You said you’d be straight-forward about it. So… I thought maybe you should show me instead.”

 

Matt hung his head low in frustration, unable to form a reply. He set his cup down onto the table before completely turning around to face Shiro, who had a playful smirk plastered upon his face. Matt heaved a soft sigh as he took a step closer towards the other. He cleared his throat before speaking.

 

“I… I’m not really good with words.”

 

Shiro exhaled from his nose, smiling softly.

“So how will you show me?”

 

Matt slowly looked up at Shiro with a determined expression, hands slowly snaking up Shiro’s neck before settling themselves gently onto the other’s sharp jawline. He inched a little closer, pulling Shiro’s head slightly down, letting the tips of their noses touch. Matt stared right into’s Shiro’s eyes, taking in the other’s scent as he gently caressed the other’s cheeks, feeling how warm they were starting to get.

“C-Can I?” Matt stuttered under his breath.

“Please.” Shiro begged.

Matt didn’t need to be told twice as he pulled Shiro in for a soft kiss. Matt could feel his heart beat against his chest. Every fiber of his entire being was being lit on fire right at that moment. He felt an arm hold him close from his lower back. Shiro’s lips moved against his as they kissed. Matt inhaled through his nose as he felt the intensity of the kiss. He could feel his knees growing weak over how soft and aggressive Shiro’s lips were. He could feel a sense of dominance and power radiating within him. And yet, Shiro was as gentle with him as he ever was. Matt kissed him a few more times before slowly pulling away, eyes fluttering open as they looked up at Shiro, who looked to be just as dazed as Matt was. And for once, it felt like their breaths were in sync with each other and time suddenly stopped as they gazed right into each other. Shiro exhaled; breathing steadily as he caressed Matt’s cheek, giving him the brightest smile he’s ever seen from him.

 

“Yeah, this is way better.” Shiro whispered.

Matt grinned, laughing softly as their hands slowly intertwined.

 

* * *

 

“Wait, you fell off a tree from trying to get your aunt’s cat?”

 

Shiro laughed at the statement, nodding.

Yeah! It was a pretty wild one too. I suffered all kinds of scratches right after that. But even when I brought it back to her, it turned out it wasn’t even her cat.”

 

Laughter echoed around the entire living room as Shiro and Matt were laying on Matt’s carpet, both resting on their backs. Matt used Shiro’s arm as a pillow while his own arm was on top of Shiro’s chest. Matt continued to chuckle softly as his fingers lingered upon the other’s shirt. Shiro let out a chuckle as well as he gently played with Matt’s hair.

 

“What do you remember most about being a kid?” Matt whispered, looking up at Shiro. Shiro was slightly taken aback by the question. His fingers continued to curl up againt Matt’s hair, humming in thought.

 

“There are tons of things I remember from childhood. But none of them were great ones…” Shiro whispered. Matt’s expression contorted into concern.

 

“But I do cherish one memory. It’s probably the only memory I cherish back in my childhood. It was my seventh birthday at that time. My mother would work tirelessly everyday. I barely got to see her and I didn’t even know where she worked. The old woman who used to look after me refused to say anything to me. But that night, my mom sneaked into my room while I was asleep, carrying a birthday cake with seven lit candles. I woke up and saw the cake. And I was just so happy. And it wasn’t because of the cake. It’s because she was home, which was all I ever wanted.”

Matt peared over at Shiro with a sympathetic expression. He could hardly believe that Shiro lived a life like that. There was so much he wanted to know about him, so much he wanted to understand.

 

“What did your mother do?” He whispered.

“She was a prostitute.” Shiro replied, returning Matt’s gaze.

 

Matt nodded once, gently caressing Shiro’s chest.

“Tell me, what was she like?”

 

Shiro leaned his head back a bit, looking up at the ceiling.

“She was just the most forgiving person I’ve ever known. She was so strong, even at times when I knew she just wanted to break down. She never made me feel as if I was a burden to her, even if I kept thinking that I was.”

 

Matt’s lips twitched into a soft smile, nuzzling his head against shoulder.

“She’s an amazing mother, no doubt. But…”

 

“But?” Shiro asked.

 

“What about your father? Where was he?” Matt uttered.

 

“Well… let’s just say he was never around.” Shiro heaved a soft sigh.

Matt stayed silent, slightly gripping on Shiro’s shirt.

 

“But my mother loved him unconditionally, even when he left both of us. She kept defending him for his absence, saying that he had a reason to.” Shiro continued.

 

“Do you think he had a reason?” Matt looked up at Shiro.

 

“Possibly. But it’s not something I concern myself with, at least, not anymore.” Shiro replied.

 

Matt’s caressed the side of Shiro’s cheek, making him gaze upon him. Shiro was quick to shift his body to face Matt’s, gazing right into the other’s eyes. Matt slowly leaned in, kissing Shiro passionately. Shiro inhaled deeply as Matt’s soft lips were against his. His hand settled upon Matt’s waist, pulling him a little closer. Shiro felt a little bold as he added a little bit of tongue into the kiss, which surprised Matt to say the least, but was receptive to it, nonetheless. Their tongues danced around against each other, making Matt mewl softly. Shiro climbed on top of Matt, holding both of his cheeks with his hands as they continued to kiss. Once Matt felt a little out of breath, he gripped Shiro’s shoulders gently, making the other halt immediately.

 

“Wait…” Matt breathed out, chuckling weakly.

“Did I do something wrong?’ Shiro asked, concern showing upon his features.

“No, no, god no. I just… I’m just trying to process everything.” Matt replied, hands travelling down to Shiro’s chest.

Shiro seemed to understand what Matt was trying to say, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss upon the other’s forehead.

“I’m sorry. I think my excitement got to me.”

Matt laughed softly, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry about it. I just… I just really wanna do this right with you.”

Shiro offered an endearing smile, taking Matt’s hand and pressing soft kisses on top of it. “You’re right. I want that too.”

 

Matt grinned softly as Shiro laid back down beside Matt, holding him close with an arm down his lower back.

“Got any work tomorrow?” Matt asked.

Shiro heaved a sigh, nodding.

“Yeah. I have to be there first thing in the morning.”

Matt slightly gripped on Shiro’s shirt, nodding once.

“I’m sorry Matt. A whole lot has been happening lately-“

“It’s alright Shiro. You do what you have to do.” Matt offered a reassuring smile.

 

“But hey… Maybe you and I could grab a bite to eat right after?”

Shiro suggested with a smile.

Matt seemed to beam up at the offer, nodding once.

“Yeah, definitely.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I failed to address why Shiro could eat a whole lot of human food, especially from the last chapter. Let's just say the reason is not too far out once you read this chapter. 
> 
> Anyway, stay tuned for the next one!


	11. It's a Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt suffers from another nightmare involving his past  
> Shiro invites him to a Pizza Parlor  
> Matt gets a revelation from all of it

* * *

 

Matt jostled awake from a sudden loud thud that erupted within the room. He frantically looked around the dark room, scanning for anything different. He reached to his bedside, pulling the string to his lamp, illuminating half of the room. He wore his glasses, pushing them up to the bridge of his nose. He could see Pidge across the other side, covering her entire small frame with a blanket.

 

“Pidge! You awake?” He called out in a whisper.

However, Pidge didn’t budge from her own bed.

 

Matt gripped the sheets of his bed, trying to steady the rapidness of his breathing. Another loud thud was heard from on top of the roof, making Matt jump in fear. He heard another thunderous thud, and another. It almost sounded as if someone or something was stomping from above. Matt drew his knees to himself, covering his ears. He tried calling out to Pidge, and yet, she seemed unbothered by the continuous thuds as she continued to lay asleep on her bed. Matt could feel his heart beat rapidly from inside his chest. He covered his mouth with a hand, covering any screams he might emit. The thudding continued a few more times before eventually coming to a stop.

Matt opened his eyes to scan his surroundings. Nothing had changed. Sweat poured down from his forehead as his body continued to shake in terror. A rumbling stomp was heard right outside of their door. Matt jumped into his sheets, covering himself with it as he curled up into a ball. He covered his mouth with both of his hands, tightly shutting his eyes closed. The stomps continued to draw nearer until Matt heard the door swing right open. Matt was gritting his teeth as tight as he could, knuckles growing white as his hands formed into tight fists. He expected something to happen at any second now. His mind was completely clouded with fear of what’s about to happen to him or even Pidge, for that matter.

And yet, as he waited, nothing ever came up. He hid inside his blanket for a more few minutes before he assumed that everything was alright. He carefully pushed the blanket off of him, looking around the room to see if anything changed. There were giant mutant-like claw prints down on the wooden floor that stopped just right beside his bed. His face contorted into sheer horror over seeing the claw prints. That’s when he heard a snap and a flutter from right above him. He froze at the sudden feel of air that came from above, slowly looking up to see what it could possible be. Matt let out an audible gasp at the sight of a gigantic bat hanging from above the ceiling. The bat seemed to be munching on something raw when it suddenly laid it’s glowing orbs on Matt. He found himself gazing right into the monster’s eyes, feeling a tad bit enraptured by them. Unable to run away, he was expecting for it to attack him any second now. And yet instead, the bat spread one of its wings forward, offering the raw meat towards Matt’s way.

 

“You should try this.” It spoke in a casual tone.

And yet Matt couldn’t hold the fear inside him as he completely screamed at the top of his lungs, making everything in his vision fade away into complete and utter darkness.

 

Matt fluttered his eyes open as soon as he felt a certain warmth hovering over his face. The sunlight peaking right inside his room blinded him for a moment. He abruptly sat up, scanning over his room frantically only to find that he was back in his own room in his apartment. He breathed heavily as he sat on his bed, taking a few moments to completely calm himself down. He noticed a piece of paper laid on top of his side table. He scanned through it quickly.

 

“Didn’t wanna wake you up.

Got called in pretty early today

I’ll see you later at 8.

-Shiro”

 

Matt suddenly remembered the events of last night between him and Shiro. He remembered the other mentioning that he might not be there by Matt’s side by the time Matt wakes up. He held the note close to his chest as he laid back onto the bed, staring up towards the ceiling. His thoughts drifted into the nightmare he had just mere minutes ago. He knew the events that occurred in it were entirely real. Except, it happened a little different from what he actually experienced before. Matt heaved a sigh in defeat as he sat up at the edge of his bed. He pushed those thoughts at the back of his mind, trying so hard to repress a memory he had many years ago. He got up from the bed and walked outside of his room, deciding to get some breakfast instead. As he walked into the living room, he saw Pidge settled on the couch with a bowl of cereal in hand, watching some tv.

 

“You’re awake.” Pidge acknowledged without looking up

Matt ran a hand through his bed head, stifling a yawn.

“You’re back pretty early.” He mumbled.

Pidge chuckled as she took a bite out of her cereal.

“So… how was your night?

Matt lazily walked towards the kitchen to fix himself something to eat.

“Peaceful.” He replied with a light shrug.

Pidge took another bite out of her cereal before speaking.

“I bet. You slept through the entire morning.”

Matt almost tripped at the statement while holding a porcelain cup.

“Wait, what?!” He uttered, looking up at the clock just above their dining table.

It was already one in the afternoon. He hung his head low in frustration.

“I can’t believe I slept for that long.” Matt mumbled as he prepared some coffee for himself.

“Yeah, I was about to check in on you if you were okay.” Pidge replied, sipping the rest of the milk out of the bowl.

Matt raised an eyebrow at the statement, scoffing lightly.

“But cereal had to come first, right?”

Pidge grinned, laughing in reply.

“Sounds bad when you say it like that.”

Matt poured himself some hot coffee as he walked towards the living room, settling beside Pidge. He grabbed the remote and proceeded to scan through the channels. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting on tv right now except for a few movies that were showing half way. Matt just settled on one of the channels that were playing one of the batman films instead, tossing the remote to the side.

“So, how’d the sleepover go?” Matt asked as he blew on his hot cup of coffee.

“It was alright. Lance and I pretty much played games all night. He’s got a new Xbox.” Pidge shrugged lightly.

Matt hummed in reply, slowly sipping into his cup.

“How’s he doing? Is he doing okay?”

Pidge gave a nod, resting her head upon the palm of her hand.

“I guess so. He seemed pretty okay to me.”

Matt exhaled from his nose, leaning a little further on the couch.

When he didn’t utter a reply, Pidge spoke up.

“What about you?”

Matt shrugged lightly, focusing on the television in front of them.

“Well, I had another one of those nightmares again.”

Pidge sported a concerned look, looking up at Matt.

“You haven’t had those in a while. Was it the same dream?”

Matt hummed in thought before speaking.

“Yes and no. This is the first time I’ve had that dream in almost a year. But… it’s kind of different now.”

 “What do you mean “different”?” Pidge raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“I… I can’t explain it. All I know is that something keeps visiting me in my dreams. Some kind of… animal. The first time I dreamt about it was about almost a month ago. The second time happened just an hour ago.” Matt stressed.

“An animal? What kind of animal?” Pidge inquired.

Matt’s eyes were trained onto the tv, watching the masked vigilante attack the villain in the film.

 “A bat.” Matt uttered.

 

Pidge scrunched here eyebrows in confusion, unable to form a decent reply.

“That’s… That’s crazy.”

“Y-Yeah, it’s definitely crazy. But I’m sure it’s nothing I should be worried about.”

Matt chose to dismiss the thought before the discussion could go any further.

“Did you dream about the cabin again?”

Pidge pressed on.

Matt heaved a defeated sigh, shaking his head.

“No.” He muttered, lying.

Pidge suspected that Matt wasn’t completely telling her the truth. She made an audible sigh.

“Matt, you gotta stop repressing memories from the past. They’re only gonna push right back into your head if you do.”

 

“Yeah, I know, I know. I just… I just need to figure out whatever this is on my own. Plus, it’s not doing me any harm. Yet.” Matt replied.

 “Yeah, yet.” Pidge reiterated.

 “Don’t worry about me, Pidge. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Matt reassured.

Pidge casted an unsure look, sighing in defeat as she slumped further into the couch. She knew she couldn’t push Matt any further into telling her about it if he was so keen in trying to hide it.

 The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly as they went out to eat at Zarkon Burgers. Pidge kept babbling about her recently discovered conspiracy theories while munching on her food. And despite how Matt seemed to be paying attention to whatever she was saying, his thoughts couldn’t help but drift upon his nightmares every now and then. His mind lingered upon the symbolism of the “bat” that visited his nightmares twice. He remembered it’s glowing orbs staring right back at him, forcefully pulling him into a trance. Matt grew frustrated over the thoughts completely piling up his mind; despite how much he tried putting up a façade that he was alright. Pidge was right about the thoughts pushing back the more he suppresses them. What he fears is the source that’s causing it all.

 

* * *

 

Shiro knocked at his door just five minutes before 8 pm. Matt pulled on his jacket and fixed his hair before walking towards the entrance.

 “You gonna be okay here, Pidge?” He called out, brushing off his jacket.

 Pidge raised a thumbs up from the couch as she typed around at her computer.

“Bring me back some take out!” She replied.

 Matt gave a weak chuckle before walking out the door, grinning right at Shiro who stood right outside his apartment.

 “Hey.” He greeted.

Shiro gave a nod, smiling softly.

“Hey you…” He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss upon Matt’s cheek.

“You ready?” Shiro asked, holding the other’s waist.

“Yup. Let’s go.” Matt linked their hands together as they headed their way out of the apartment.

 Apparently, Shiro knew about a local pizza parlor, called Puig Pizza Parlor, that was about 20 minutes away from their place. Matt honestly felt excited once Shiro pulled over the restaurant. One of the waiters led them to a seat right outside the restaurant, where they could overlook the ocean from afar. Shiro pulled a seat for Matt before sitting across from him. A candle was lit right between them, making the scenery seem little bit warmer. Matt heaved a sigh of relief, unzipping his jacket and hanging it behind his chair.

 “This looks really cozy. How’d you find out about this place?” Matt asked

“Well, I drive around town every now and then. Plus, I’ve heard about the place from all of my colleagues. So, I thought it’d be a great idea to check it out… with you.”

Shiro replied.

“Wait, so you’ve never eaten here before?” Matt replied in disbelief.

Shiro sheepishly grinned, nodding in agreement.

“Nope~”

Matt chuckled softly, propping his elbows onto the edge of the table.

“So I assume we’re going blind on this one, huh?”

Shiro shrugged, smiling softly.

“How bad could it be? It’s a pizza parlor.”

Matt’s lips twitched into soft grin.

“Exactly, and one thing you should know about me is that I’ve worked as a pizza delivery guy during my early years in college. And my expectations are gonna be pretty high.”

 

“Really, a delivery guy?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, lightly smirking.

“Yup! With a palette of a critic.” Matt retorted.

“Then I guess we shouldn’t waste time anymore, huh?” Shiro handed him one of the menus.

“Nope, cus’ I’m definitely starving right now.” Matt took the menu, smirking.

 

After a few minutes of waiting, their orders were served onto their table. Matt was down to his second margherita pizza while Shiro was taking a bite out of his plate of pasta. Matt hummed in satisfaction as he bit into another piece.

 “Okay. I’m in heaven right now.” Matt praised, taking another bite.

Shiro wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Yeah? It’s that good, huh?”

Matt hummed in reply, swallowing his food before replying.

“Take a piece.” He said, offering a piece to Shiro.

Shiro accepted the piece, taking a big bite. He slowly nodded as he chewed.

“Wow.” He mumbled.

“Told ya.” Matt took a sip out of his own drink.

 

“So does this meet up to your expectations?” Shiro asked.

Matt settled his drink down before speaking.  
“Well… I’ve eaten about 3 pieces in the last 15 minutes. And I’m about to get another piece. I’m pretty sure you’re gonna have to carry me back once we’re done.” Matt laughed as he took another piece.

 

“That’s not a problem.” Shiro replied with a grin.

Matt chuckled, chewing in silence for a few minutes.

“So… Is this considered our first date?” Matt asked after wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Shiro looked up at Matt, propping his elbows onto the edge of the table.

“Only if you want it to be…” He reached out, planting his hand upon Matt’s.

Matt looked down at their hands, slowly taking Shiro’s with his.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 After finishing most of their meals, Shiro secretly ordered dessert for both of them. The waiter set it upon their plate once their table was cleared out. Matt stared in delight over the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream right in front of them.

Shiro forked a piece of the dessert, offering it for Matt to bite into.

 “You should try this.” He uttered as he held the fork midway.

Matt froze in his seat, face contorting into faint shock.

“Wh-What did you say?” He uttered.

Shiro lowered the fork as soon as he saw the other’s unusual expression.

“I said you should try this. Is something wrong?”

Matt suddenly realized that he was acting strange, immediately shaking away from his sudden trance.

“S-Sorry. I kinda spaced out for second there.”

Shiro’s face was plastered with concern.

“It seemed like I said something off to you. Are you sure everything’s alright?”

Matt could see the visible concern plastered upon Shiro’s face. He was really tempted to open up to him and yet, he could feel anxiety thrumming against his system.  

“It’s nothing Shiro, really. I just got lost in the moment, that’s all.” He lied.

Despite the worried look upon his face, Shiro decided to drift the conversation to something else, to which Matt was grateful about. They continued to hang around the restaurant for another half an hour before they both decided to head home. Shiro payed for their entire bill despite Matt’s protests to pay half. Matt settled down onto the passenger’s seat beside Shiro, carrying the take out box he was going to offer for Pidge. Once they both reached their apartment, Shiro followed Matt towards his front door, taking the other’s hand and pulling the other’s body flush against him. Matt chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck. Shiro leaned his forehead onto Matt’s, staring right into the other’s eyes. He pressed a soft kiss upon Matt’s forehead. Matt leaned onto the sweet gesture, heaving a soft sigh.

 “Thanks for tonight. I really had a great time.” Matt whispered.

Shiro offered an endearing smile as he caressed Matt’s cheek.

“Me too.” He whispered, slowly leaning in, letting their noses brush up against each other.

Matt’s breathed hitched over their lips slightly touching before they both leaned in, completely closing the distance between them.

They both pulled away after a minute or two, both chuckling in delight.

 

“I gotta go. Pidge is probably starving by now.” Matt sighed.

“Of course. Can I see you tomorrow?” Shiro asked.

“Do you even need to ask?” Matt chuckled, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss upon Shiro’s cheek before pulling away.

“Goodnight Shiro.” Matt greeted softy as he opened the door to his apartment.

Shiro waved his hand, smiling softly.

“Goodnight Matt.”

 

Matt continued smiling until he gently shut the door closed behind him. Pidge was settled on the couch as usual, except she had earphones on, unable to hear Matt come in through the door. Matt peered at her from the edge, poking her forehead.

 “Ah!” Pidge abruptly sat up, pulling off her earphones.

“Oh, you’re back.” Pidge uttered as she saw her brother.

Matt offered the box of take out he was holding.

“Here you go. I made sure to order a few extra pieces for you.”

Pidge grinned in delight, taking the box for herself.

“Wow, thanks. It seems like I’ll be expecting a whole lot of take out from here on out huh?”

Matt pulled his jacket off, tossing it on one of the chairs.

“Don’t get used to it.”

Pidge opened the box, taking one of the pieces.

“I’ll stop once you and Shiro stop eating out every night. But I bet that’s not happening any time soon cus’ you basically only get to see him at night. Plus, you can’t really cook.”

 

Suddenly, Matt froze in his spot, turning around to face Pidge.

“Wait. What did you say?”

Pidge shifted her eyes side to side before replying.

“Uh. You can’t cook for shit?”

Matt shook his head.

“No, before that.”

Pidge swallowed her food before speaking.

“You only get to see Shiro at night?”

 Matt’s thoughts suddenly drifted to his unusual nightmares involving the gigantic bat, comparing the entire situation to him spending his time with Shiro. Shiro also said the exact same words that the bat spoke to him in the nightmare during their date. It couldn’t be a coincidence, he thought. Not to mention that the only time he got to see the other was when the stars started showing up in the sky.

 

Matt gripped his head, eyes widening in utter realization.

“Oh my fucking god…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
